


Take Another Little Pizza My Heart

by TheTacticianAlchemist



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Awkward Crush, Drama, Falling In Love, Lots of pizza, M/M, Mutual Pining, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pizza, Rating May Change, Stalking, Starts cute but gets darker, Theatre, don't worry neither Yuya nor Yuto do the stalking no thank you there, includes 5ds characters because I can
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2019-08-06 22:19:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTacticianAlchemist/pseuds/TheTacticianAlchemist
Summary: Sakaki Yuya is fresh from college with his theater degree--and debt he can only pay for with his retail job. After moving in with his best friend Gongenzaka, he tries out for the LDS annual theater performance and becomes the star of the show, drawing the attention of way too many people. But really, he only wants the attention of one person in particular: Yuto.Yuto just happens to be his really, really cute pizza deliveryman.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was walking home a couple weeks ago, kinda hurrying because I'd timed a pizza delivery order and I was about to be late, and all I could think was "I hope my pizza guy doesn't think I'm weird for ordering pizza like every week. I really hope he understands how much I [platonically] love him for bringing me food."
> 
> And then this happened.
> 
> Thanks to blue-needle and nierza for helping me flesh it out~

Yuya's stomach rumbles as he stares into the empty fridge. "Gongenzaka?" he calls, not even looking over his shoulder. He just keeps his eyes on the shelves that frankly need to be scrubbed down, hoping that something tasty--hell, even a half-eaten sandwich--will miraculously appear.

Gongenzaka's over in the living room area, lifting weights, just a small set he brought with him from home. (And by "small," Yuya wishes that it didn't take up half the living room, but at the very least they can comfortably watch a movie together... so long as Gongenzaka sits on his workout bench.) "What is it?" he answers, not even out of breath even though he's been on this workout session for about half an hour already.

"Wasn't it your turn to go grocery shopping?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Uh..." Yuya closes the fridge door to check the shopping list on the magnetic notepad. On the top, Yuya's name is written next to the date of the last time he went shopping, just under a week ago. Underneath reads: _NEXT: GON-CHAN_. "Says so right here."

There's a small bit of a clatter as Gongenzaka puts down his weights. "I'm sorry, Yuya!" he says, jumping to his feet, but Yuya waves his arms.

"Don't worry about it tonight; it's getting late," Yuya says. He thinks for a moment, then grins. "I'll forgive you if you pay for pizza. Don't worry; I'll get the tip for the driver." He knows how much pizza (and therefore money) Gongenzaka can go through... when he isn't too worried about the health concerns. Gongenzaka probably wouldn't want to pay _too_ much anyway. "Does that sound good?"

"Ah... Okay," Gongenzaka relents, sitting back down on his bench. "Do you mind ordering? The man needs to finish up his workout. Actually, more than usual, if we're getting pizza...."

Yuya chuckles and pulls his cellphone out of his pocket. He made sure to put the local pizza place in his phone the first week they moved into the apartment... which was last week. "I still remember what you want, don't worry," he says as he scrolls through his contacts. He finds the right one--the store is its own tiny chain called Lancers’ Pizza, a name that Yuya can't really make heads or tails of, but the flyers make their pizza look absolutely delicious, so he can't fault them for a weird name.

He presses the call button, and after a few moments, a man—maybe a few years older than Yuya, but with a deep voice—answers the phone. His tone is a little dead. _"Hello, this is Lancers’ Pizza. My name is Shun, how may I help you?"_

Yuya smiles even though he's not face-to-face with the guy. He hopes whoever this Shun guy is, is having an okay day and doesn't actually hate his job. "Hi there," he says cheerily. "I'd like to order—" He thinks for a moment, considering their empty fridge. "Two larges and one side of breadsticks, please."

_"What would you like on the pizzas?"_ Shun drones.

"One's a loaded supreme and the other has spinach, pepperoni, extra cheese and some mushrooms, please," he says.

_"All right. Anything else?"_

"Nope, but thank you!"

_"Okay. That should be twenty-two eighty. Could you give me the name and address?"_ When Yuya complies and he checks it, he adds with a deadpan, _"Our deliveryman should be there within the hour. If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to call. Have a good night,"_ and then the line goes dead.

Yuya gives a sad smile as he hangs up. "I hope that guy has a better night ahead of him."

Hoping to get his mind off his empty stomach, he goes to his bedroom to get his wallet and search for an appropriate amount of tip money; Gongenzaka just lets him get his wallet for him rather than getting up. When Yuya's laid it all out, he grabs his audition sheet and runs through his lines.

When it's almost about time for the pizza-man to come, Yuya comes back out into the living room to find Gongenzaka still going at his workout, though it looks like he's in his cooldown phase. "Wanna watch a movie?" he suggests, turning on the PlayStation and opening up Netflix. Gongenzaka gives a grunt that he knows to mean 'sure,' so Yuya hums, browsing through the options rather aimlessly. Maybe a superhero movie would be good, or a comedy....

There's a knock at the door, and Yuya jumps up from his beanbag chair. "I've got it, Gongenzaka," he says, grabbing the bills from the counter.

Yuya checks the peephole, seeing a blurry, distorted mess of black, red, and purple. The one thing he can clearly make out are hands holding up the telltale black delivery bag. _Mmm, nice and warm_ , Yuya thinks.

He grins, throwing open the door. "Hello—"

Oh.

He freezes without really realizing it, his wide eyes taking in the downright _beautiful_ man in front of him. The guy seems to be the same age as Yuya, standing only an inch taller at most, but it's hard to tell with his incredibly spiky black and purple hair. It's held back by a visor-like hat with the Lancers Pizza emblem on it, which is matched by the red-and-black jacket that he wears. It's too big for his thin frame, which is accented very nicely by his form-fitting shirt and black jeans.

Also _, holy shit_. Those pearl-grey eyes shine _so_ prettily even in the light of the fluorescent bulb overhead. Yuya finds himself staring at them until the pizza-man's gaze suddenly meets his, and Yuya realizes that _God,_ he's totally checking out the guy giving him _pizza_ —

His cheeks flame up, and he looks down at the bills fisted in his hand. "U-um, it's, uh, twenty-two, right?"

"Uh," the guy says, and even his voice is just the perfect amount of smooth and deep and Yuya thinks he's going to melt like the goddamn extra cheese he ordered.

The guy hurriedly checks the receipt in his hand. "Y-yeah. Um... You’re Sakaki Yuya, right?"

Yuya nods, and all he can think is that he really wants this guy to say his name again. "Y-yup," he says, trying to grin. "That's me..." He laughs a little and he hates how forced it sounds.

The pizza-man (why the hell does he not wear a nametag?) pauses before nodding. "Okay... Um..." He checks the receipt again. "Two larges, one a loaded supreme and the other spinach, mushrooms, pepperoni, and extra cheese. Then a large breadstick."

Yuya nods. His throat feels so dry that he wishes he ordered a drink. "Um, yep. That's everything." He pauses, then holds out the bills with stiff arms. "K-keep the change."

The guy nods, then slowly reaches out to take the bills. His fingers brush Yuya's, and they both jerk their hands back slightly before he stammers out, "S-sorry, didn't mean to" and takes the bills. He checks them with shaky hands before putting them away, then hurriedly opens the bag to pull out the boxes. "Careful, it's hot," he says, holding out the order.

Yuya takes the boxes, then hisses a little, grimacing. "Oh, you're right; it _is_ hot..."

The guy is already reaching forward a little, but he freezes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry," Yuya says, waving his hand in front of his face. Bad call, because then the boxes tip a little to the side, and his heart leaps into his throat.

The pizza-man ducks forward, grabbing the edge of the bottom box to keep them all from tumbling. His eyes are wide as he looks up at Yuya. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Yuya kind of wants to crawl in a hole. That or stop time so he can keep looking at this guy without being totally judged at being so stupid and clumsy. "I just get a little, uh, scatterbrained sometimes," he admits, and now his whole body is hot with embarrassment.

"Well..." The guy gives a soft smile. "So long as you're not hurt or anything."

Yuya's heartbeat hammers in his chest. Shit. Shit, _shit, shit shit—_

He stands up straight, pulling the pizza boxes away from the guy. "T-thank you. Um, have a good night," he adds, backing up a little. He gives a little wave, but this time, he's better able to keep a handle on the boxes. Somehow.

"Have a good night," the guy echoes, standing there and raising his hand just a little to wave back.

Yuya closes the door, blinking at it. He could swear that it's not just the pizzas in his hands that are steaming, but his whole body, too.

He staggers into the living room and puts the boxes on the coffee table before collapsing into his beanbag chair, staring at the ceiling.

Gongenzaka raises an eyebrow, then waves his hand over Yuya's face. "Hey, Yuya? You okay there?"

"Uh," Yuya says, not really coming back into the moment. "Dunno."

"Was it a creep?" Gongenzaka's voice turns hard.

"No. No, not at all." Yuya's heart flutters. "He was really… nice..."

Gongenzaka frowns. "Well... Maybe you just need to eat."

He turns to the table and lines up the boxes before opening them up. The smell wafts over Yuya, and he finally remembers his rumbling stomach. He sits up and grabs a slice. It's hot, but not enough to hurt, and he's kind of still in a stupor anyways as he bites into it.

"Huh," Gongenzaka says, chewing his bite. "It's okay. Nothing like Pendulum Pizza back home."

"Really?" Yuya replies absently, staring at the little emblem on the pizza box as he savors the taste. "I think it's delicious."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno how many of you aren't from America, but it's customary to leave a money tip for waiters and such people in the food service industry. Typically it's good to leave 15% of the food bill for the staff member, or 20% if the service was good. Some customers can be really stingy or generous though.

"Yuto? Hello? Earth to Yuto!" Ruri waves her hand in front of Yuto's face before finally giving up and snapping her fingers.

Yuto finally blinks back into the moment. "Huh?"

He looks around, taking in the open textbooks between him and Ruri, and the flashcards written with Ruri's neat handwriting in his hand. He rubs the back of his neck, feeling a little guilty. "Um, sorry, Ruri."

She huffs. "That's not the first time you've spaced off lately," she says, poking at him. "You're supposed to be helping me. It's a good thing my test is still a ways off."

"You'll be fine, I'm sure," Yuto says. "You're smarter than me and Shun combined."

Ruri laughs at that. "Don't sell yourself short, Yuto. Shun has some smarts, I'll give him that, but so do you."

Yuto shrugs. He doesn't want to go down this line of conversation, because he knows exactly where it would lead: Ruri trying to make him feel better about the fact that he still can't find a job in his field. Granted, he's still fresh from college and he knows this stuff takes time, but... it's still not fun for him to drive around town delivering pizzas.

Although...

"Oi," Ruri says, poking Yuto again. "You look like you're drifting off again, there. Come on, we're having a conversation," she teases.

"Ah, sorry." Yuto gives her a small smile. "Anyway... You're fine, Ruri. Trust me. You study all the time. You're going to ace the test, get into vet school, graduate, and then be paying for Shun's and my rent."

She laughs. "That'll take a while, you know. But when I get a really big house, you can crash there. I'll even let Shun have a bed, too."

That makes Yuto smile. "I'm glad. I can't wait for that. But I have a point—you study way too much. You deserve a good break."

"Maybe you're right. It is getting a little late. I should make dinner, then maybe I’ll watch a movie or something..."

Yuto shakes his head. "I mean, you should take a day off sometime. We can go do something. I have enough saved up to do a shopping trip or something."

Ruri's eyes light up. "Oh, we should. Let's go out on a day we both have free. Then we can go see a movie, too."

"Maybe we can drag Shun to part of it," Yuto suggests, laughing a little. "I'll grab my schedule before I head out to work," he says, standing from the table. It's almost time for him to leave, anyway.

"I'll figure out a time while you're gone, then," Ruri says.

"Just a sec," Yuto says before going to his and Shun's room. He grabs his visor hat and his jacket, slipping them on, then takes his schedule down from the wall where he's taped it up. He's checking it himself when he comes back out to the table, then stops.

It's already been a week.

Just the thought of Sakaki Yuya has been making Yuto's heart flutter for the past seven days. At first, Yuto thought he was only being struck by Yuya's looks. Such shiny, bouncy red-and-green hair.... Eyes that glitter just like rubies, with a bubbly voice to match the sparkle in them.... Yuto's seen a lot of people during his time as a deliveryman, but never has he seen someone as stunning as Sakaki Yuya.

He assumed that he would get over this... little "infatuation" within a day or two. After all, he's only met Yuya once, and they didn't even have a meaningful conversation. Yuya literally paid him for pizza, Yuto gave him the pizza, and that was that. But even in just those few minutes of speaking to each other... Yuto’s found that he can't get Yuya out of his head. He wants to know far more about him than just the fact that he likes extra cheese on his pizza.

Even if... it's probably something that will never happen. _I'm just the guy that delivers his pizza. Nothing can come out of that. Nothing... except creepy things, probably._

"Yuto? Yuto!" Ruri calls out again, taking the schedule from him. She's stood so that she can peer in close at him. "Hello! You have to get going to work soon."

He startles back into the moment, then checks the time on his phone. "Crap, you're right..."

"Honestly." She puts her hands on her hips. "You've been spacing out a lot for the past week. What's been going on with you? Did you meet someone, or something?"

Yuto's cheeks go immediately red. "W-what do you mean by that?" he stammers. He doesn't like lying to Ruri or Shun at all, so he can't even give an instinctual "no."

Ruri pauses. Then, a grin spreads across her lips, and she points at him. "You—you _met_ someone, didn't you? Ooh, tell me all about it!"

Yuto shakes his head immediately. "R-Ruri, come on, you said it yourself—I need to get to work..."

"Ahh..." She pauses again and frowns, putting her hands on her hips. "Well... I guess I'll let you off for now. But you can tell me all about it later, okay? You're fine. I won't even tell Shun. …Um, it's not—?"

"It's _not_ ," he says firmly, and then he goes red, realizing the implication in his words. He's basically admitting to having met _someone_ , to liking _someone_. "I—Ruri, I have to go," he says, turning and grabbing his car keys from the counter.

"Have a good night, okay?" she calls, waving. "Drive safe!"

"I will," he promises, and even though he's still embarrassed he makes sure to give her a wave back like he usually does when he leaves.

Yuto goes outside the apartment and gets into his car, a pretty old sedan that he and Shun have done their best to keep in top shape. It's helped a lot in the past while that Shun's been studying at the automotive school. They shared the car for a while until Shun could afford his own. It still drives smoothly and has little trouble, thank God, but the red paint is peeling in a few places. Oh, well. It suits as a pizza car, he supposes.

He's always a bit early to work; he never wants to be late and inconvenience anyone, after all. Shun's already there—he always takes the long shifts. He's covered in flour and some pizza sauce as he helps the new girl, Selena, get the ropes.

"Hi, there," Yuto calls, going to clock in.

"Hey," Shun calls, and it's followed by a few echoes from the others on staff tonight, though Selena's too focused on making a pizza to say anything.

"It's another fucked-up Friday," Yugo says, leaning against the wall and taking a break. He only comes in a couple times a week, taking the extra busy shifts to help with deliveries. He got a job straight after graduation at a repair shop, but—and he complains about this every once in a while, which is why Yuto knows—his girlfriend is making him save up as much as possible so they don't have to deal with tons of debt. At the very least, he gets to do his favorite thing—driving... albeit he has to use the moped and not his own bike.

"I figured it would be," Yuto says. There's already a list growing for his deliveries on the wall. "It'll be a long night." Well, most evening shifts he was out well past midnight, anyways....

"Get out there, Yuto," Shun says, adding another black delivery box to a pile on the table.

"Gotcha," Yuto says, taking the list and the boxes in his arms. "I'll be back," he calls as he leaves out the side door and goes to his car. He checks the addresses, knowing them vaguely in his mind. He's driven around so many times that he knows Maiami City like the back of his hand by now. He sets the pizzas in the back of his car, putting them in order. Then he stops, blinking.

The receipt on the last one reads _Sakaki Yuya_.

His flushes and slaps his cheeks before he closes the back door and gets in the driver's seat. _Sakaki Yuya... You don't_ know _Sakaki Yuya, Yuto. Come on. He's not anything but a_ customer _._

A... really _cute_ customer…. Honestly probably the cutest person he's ever seen, even just from first glance.

He suddenly realizes he's just sitting there, so he turns the key, and the engine rumbles to life. He blasts up his MCR CD and pulls out of the parking lot, heading toward the first house of the night. He almost misses it.

It feels like both and eternity and also no time at all, delivering those first three pizzas. Two of the people are pretty normal, but the last one is yet another creep drinking beer and wearing a stained undershirt and boxer shorts. But unfortunately, Yuto is used to this and it doesn't bother him... too much.

But then he realizes he has just one pizza left, and one person to deliver to in this batch, and he can't stop the smile that spreads across his lips.

His heart starts to beat a bit faster as he pulls into the parking lot of the complex. He's delivered here countless times before—always thought the apartments looked much nicer than his own—but now it suddenly seems so much more... intimidating somehow. Intimidating _and_ exciting.

He gets out of the car and grabs the black delivery bag, going to the stairwell labeled B and walking up to the second floor. His hands feel a little shaky, and he bites his lip. He's both looking forward so much to seeing Yuya, and dreading it. Yuya probably doesn't remember him. No, scratch that. Yuya _definitely_ doesn't remember him. Yuto's just a deliveryman. Nothing more, nothing less.

Still, as he stands in front of the door, he finds himself trying to fix his hair and straighten his jacket, and he realizes he hasn't knocked yet.

He raises his hand to do so, and then, voices waft from inside.

"Yuya, you're going to be fine." It's a girl's voice. "Just smile and you'll be fine."

The response is too quiet for Yuto to hear for a moment, and then he can clearly hear, "Okay. Okay, I just have to deliver this soliloquy. Tomorrow. For a part that will make or break my career. No... No, Yuzu, I totally chose the wrong one! I'm so much more suited to characters like—"

"Don't sell yourself short. You can do whatever character you want, Yuya, I've seen you do it!"

"I..."

Yuto realizes suddenly that he's eavesdropping, but more than that, somehow he can't bear to hear the worry in Yuya's voice through the thin walls. He hurriedly knocks on the door. Maybe he can't do much when he's not even an acquaintance of Yuya's, but at least he can deliver his dinner.

The voices go quiet for a second, and then maybe Yuto hears something spoken fast that he can't make out, and after a few moments, the door jerks open, revealing Yuya. His hair is a bit out of place. He’s dressed in sweatpants and a kinda ratty shirt that reads _SMILE WORLD!_ Despite his disheveled appearance, a smile forms on his face when he sees Yuto.

Yuto's heart skips a beat. "H-hello," he says, giving the best smile back that he can. "Sakaki Yuya?" he asks, but completely forgets to hold up the receipt so he doesn't look like a total creep who’s memorized someone’s name after only one delivery.

Yuya's smile grows a bit wider. "That's me..."

Yuto wants to melt. "Hi." He blinks, then, flustered, looks down at the box and takes out the receipt. "Two larges, one a loaded supreme and the other spinach, mushrooms, pepperoni, and extra cheese. Then a large breadstick, and a large Caesar salad." The salad is new...

Oh shit, that’s a bad sign. He remembers his _order_ from last week, too.

"Yup, that's it," Yuya says. He turns to look back into the apartment. "Hey, Yuzu? Can you come here and give me a hand?"

"Sure," comes a voice, and a moment later, a pink-haired, blue-eyed girl appears in the doorway, and Yuto blinks at her. He gets the feeling that he's seen her somewhere before...

"Ah, here!" he says hurriedly, getting the salad and the breadsticks, handing them to her.

"I'll go put these on the table," she says, and as she leaves, she gives Yuya a smile—no, more like a smirk—and Yuya, for some reason, reddens up like a tomato.

Yuto doesn't get it for a moment, and then, he feels his skin heat up while his heart freezes.

Of course. Of _course_. There's no way Yuya could be single.  He's too cute, _way_ too cute, and Yuto feels so _stupid_ —

"Hey, um, sorry..."

He blinks back into the moment, finding Yuya looking back at him, though he can't make eye contact.

"Sorry," Yuya says again. "I mean... Sorry, I'm blabbing and I don't know why," he blurts. "G-gimme the pizzas. Uh—please. I'll get you the money, it's on the counter..."

Technically, Yuto knows he's not supposed to give the customer the full order without being given money first—especially if there's a door in between them that can be shut—but he's too embarrassed to think twice about giving Yuya the pizzas.

"Thanks, just a sec," Yuya says hurriedly, and while Yuto's waiting at the door, he hears a harsh whisper from inside: "Yuzu, what are you _doing_?!" to which she replies, "Nothing, I swear!"

Yuya comes back after a moment, carrying a wad of cash. He holds it out to Yuto. "Thank you. Um, please, just keep the change, okay?" He gives him a smile.

Somehow the smile is both uplifting and heartbreaking to Yuto at the same time, but he takes the money all the same. Still, though... Yuto suddenly remembers the worried tone Yuya had when he was...uh, eavesdropping... so Yuto gives him a smile back, hoping it doesn't seem forced.

"I hope you have a good weekend," he wishes. He gives a little wave, then turns and heads down the stairs.

"T-thank you!" Yuya calls after a moment, and Yuto stops, looking back, and Yuya is giving him an enthusiastic wave. "Have a good night and drive safe!" Yuya says before, like it suddenly occurs to him, he all but slams the door shut.

Yuto blinks at that, then sighs, smiling softly.

He exits the stairwell and counts the money as he gets in the car. Then he pauses and turns on the overhead light, counting the bills again.

He opens the door and, forgetting to close it, runs back to the stairwell and up to the second floor to knock on the door. There’s a flurry of voices and sound from inside, and Yuya opens the door, blinking at him.

Yuto holds out the cash. “Did you make a mistake? I can’t take this much,” he blurts.

Yuya blinks at him again, and then, finally, he breaks into a laugh. He holds onto his stomach, and his grin is wide as he rubs a bit of wetness from the corner of his eye.

“No, no, keep it,” he says, still laughing a bit, and Yuto’s pretty sure he wants to listen to that laugh for the rest of his life. “You probably don’t get that many tips. Please keep it and… have a good weekend.”

Yuto hesitates, still holding out the bills. “You’re… sure? It’s...”

Yuya nods. “I’m sure.” He moves his hand toward Yuto, then stops suddenly. He stands there for a moment, stock still. “Um… Don’t… spend it all in one place?” he suggests, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I… I won’t. Thank you…” Yuto nods. He can’t find anything else to say as he backs away. He nearly forgets to turn around so he can go down the stairs.

When he gets to the corner, he turns back. Yuya is still watching him, but he suddenly shuts the door again. Then from the wall there’s a distinct, deep voice that goes, “You gave him _how_ big a tip?” and another distinct, higher voice—Yuzu’s, Yuya’s _girlfriend,_ probably—that says, “Yuya, _honestly_ ….”

Yuto just walks down the stairs and back to his car in a daze. He starts it, but leaves it in park. The music blasts from his stereo, but he’s not really listening to it.

Yuya left him a fifty percent tip.

Yuto closes his eyes and leans his head against the steering wheel.

Oh, god. He's in it _deep_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent the last two weeks working and also agonizing over which play to put in here, and decided to go with the one I actually remember things about from high school English. I went back to the last chapter and edited out a Shakespeare character Yuya mentioned so that I wouldn't have any discrepancies.
> 
> This is mostly setup for the plot, but I still hope it's good for you guys~

Yuya breathes in, smiling even though his stomach is roiling with nerves.

The ready room he's standing in smells nice, at least. Some sort of relaxing scent is in the air, the carpet and the chairs are plush, and there's nice, delicious lemonade in a pitcher on the table. He's had way too much of it even after just being in the room ten minutes.

 _It's just an audition,_ he tells himself. _You've done these a ton of times before._

 _Yeah, but,_ the other side of his brain says. _You've never auditioned for anything bigger than Maiami University's productions._

For a solid twenty-four years—this year marks the twenty-fifth—the LDS Corporation has put on one of the most famous performances in the country. It's not anything like Broadway, but for sure, the performance can launch newbie actors to that stage, or to television or the big screen. Auditions are open to the public, though they last for months, with rigorous screenings required to even get a chance at the final auditions. Which of course are in front of the directors, the producer, and—according to rumors—agents from major production companies.

Yeah. Totally no big deal. Just something that could make or break his career, before it even starts.

Yuya takes another breath.

"Okay, Dad," he murmurs, then clasps the pendulum he almost always keeps on under his shirt. "Please help me out today."

"Sakaki Yuya!" The door opens, and a bespectacled woman holding a clipboard comes in. "You're on soon. Please follow me," she says, and Yuya kind of wants to run away.

Still, he follows the woman out of the ready room and to a spot just to the side of the main stage. Yuya can't see the audience from here, but he can see the person auditioning as he bows, his long purple hair falling around his face. He stands, turns, and then exits the stage on the opposite side.

There's a minute where Yuya assumes the directors and producer are conversing, and then, a calm, deep voice sounds out: "Sakaki Yuya."

Yuya can hear the way the voice pauses slightly over his name. But Yuya has heard that from so many people that he can't really be bothered by it anymore. Well... he tries not to be, at least.

The woman ushers him forward, and he walks out onto the stage. The bright overhead lights hit his eyes, and at first, he can barely make out the handful of people in the audience. Three are closer to the stage, a thin man and two long-haired women. A couple rows behind them are two men, sitting a few seats apart. One is scrawny, maybe with a dark mustache, and the other is more broad-shouldered. From what Yuya can tell, his hair is pretty pale.

"Good morning," the deep, smooth voice continues, and Yuya deduces it's coming from the first man toward the front. Now that he's more used to the light, Yuya can make out the trademark silver hair and red-rimmed glasses that he’s seen so often on magazine covers. Akaba Reiji.

"Good morning," Yuya returns, bowing. He smiles widely.

One of the women, the one with golden hair, checks her clipboard. "Sakaki Yuya. It says here that you're trying out for the part of Polonius. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's correct." Polonius, while somewhat of a minor character in _Hamlet_ , is a bit of a buffoon—an old man who speaks too much and is mostly there to be the "funny old guy." Yuya can do that easily. "I will be performing from Act One, Scene Three."

"Line five forty-one, I take it?"

"Yes." It’s probably Polonius's most famous speech in the play. Yuya’s debated with himself on whether to do that or go out of left field with a lesser-known line, but... he really does like this line regardless.

The other woman watches him closely. She looks nearly identical to the other aside from her silver hair and pinkish eyes. "Go on."

Yuya nods, then relaxes his muscles before taking a few steps toward the right, opening his arms as if to embrace someone. "Yet here, Laertes?" He then makes a shooing motion, tutting. "Aboard, aboard, for shame! The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail, and you are stay'd for. There- my blessing with thee!" he adds, moving to take the imaginary son, Laertes by the shoulder and cup his cheeks.

He suddenly makes to clap the back of the imaginary Laertes, as if to let him go, but then after just a split second, he starts to speak again, lifting a finger as if to say, _Wait a moment, I just thought of something, don't go just yet._

"And these few precepts in thy memory look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor any unproportion'd thought his act..."

He's studied some acting of this scene, and most of the Polonius-players go into droning here, because, well, it is an old man tutting on and keeping his son from leaving on a trip even though he himself just said to get a move on. But Yuya knows that Polonius, while being full of air, really does believe in his words and wants his son to succeed and be safe. He tries to put that emotion into every little action and utterance, until he ends the lines.

The is a small smattering of clapping, and Yuya bows. But before he can speak, Akaba Reiji leans forward in his seat.

"I understand this is sudden," he says, and Yuya feels his heart leap into his throat. "But would you mind terribly performing another scene for me? From another character."

Yuya hesitates. This has never happened to him before. In the past, he's gotten parts he hasn't auditioned for—that’s pretty normal—but never has he been asked to perform something _else_ during the audition. "To... audition for?"

"Yes," Reiji says. "As I'm sure you understand, I want to make this performance the best possible one it can be. And that may include putting actors in positions that they did not expect. Usually we would just cast without much more input from the actor during the audition, but I really would like to see another performance from you."

Yuya almost wants to say no—he knows the play, yes, but he hasn't been practicing lines for anyone except Polonius—but then he thinks of how much he needs to be in this play. How much he wants it, and how much he wants to be on this stage….

He nods, steeling himself. "Okay."

The smallest of smiles appears on Reiji's lips, and Yuya wonders if it's a trick of the light. "Please perform some lines from Hamlet, if you will. I understand this is sudden, so you may pick whichever you like."

Yuya bites his lip. Hamlet is everything he doesn't want to be. Hamlet's moody, driven by revenge, indecisive, and... well, he supposes that _he's_ indecisive sometimes too, and they're _both_ performers, in a sense. Among other things....

"All right," Yuya says after a moment. There's no way he can say no in this situation, anyway. "I can perform at least part of Hamlet's first soliloquy."

Reiji waves his hand. "Please go ahead."

Yuya nods and closes his eyes for a moment, trying to put himself in Hamlet's shoes. Aside from all the mother and stepfather/uncle issues Hamlet has... Yuya finds that it's a little too easy.

That's why he didn't want to try out for the lead in the first place.

"O that this too, too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!" Yuya starts, going right into the thick of it.

He's not sure what exactly he does, really. He just speaks and moves naturally, without even thinking. It’s all a blur.

And then, all at once, he's finished.

He blinks, realizing he's panting a little as he looks out at the tiny crowd. His nerves pile up all at once, and he bows as they clap for him, louder than his previous performance, but he can't really hear it.

"A good job," the golden-haired woman says, and the silver-haired one leans forward, her eyes alight with excitement, and says, "No, excellent!"

Reiji just adjusts his glasses and maybe smiles, but all he says is, "Thank you for humoring me, Mr. Sakaki."

"Just Yuya is fine," Yuya says automatically. He bows again. "Then I'll... take my leave," he says, still barely processing anything as he exits the stage.

()()()

He goes to another waiting room, where some of the other actors who have already gone are relaxing. There's no real reason to stay—the directors and the producer still need to come up with the casting, and they won't announce it for at least a few days, maybe as long as a week—but some of the people are just standing around chatting, or looking at their phones, trying to work off the nervous energy that had accumulated during the process.

Yuya sits in a poofy chair, nearly sunk in all the way. He blinks at the ceiling, not really seeing it.

"Yuya? My protege!"

He blinks again and looks to the side, finding his old classmate Sawatari Shingo standing there.

Sawatari runs a hand smoothly through his bangs and smirks. "My, my. You made it all the way to the last round of auditions? I must admit I'm impressed."

And finally, Yuya pulls out of his funk a bit. He rolls his eyes, but smiles. "Oh, the great Sawatari Shingo is praising me? I'm quite honored."

"As you should be!" Sawatari puts his hands on his hips. "But just know that even if you do make it into this play, the best you could ever hope to achieve would be to become my understudy."

Yuya bit back his laugh. "Oh? Who did you audition for?"

"Hamlet, of course. He's only the most famous character in all of Shakespeare, rivaled only by Romeo and Juliet." He shrugs. "Who else could the great Sawatari Shingo play?"

Yuya chuckles. He sits up some more. "Hey, I'm probably gonna head home soon, but if you ever wanna come over and practice lines or just hang out, let me know, okay?"

"Practice lines? You haven't even gotten a part, Yuya." He suddenly grins. "Unless you mean you want to help me? You're so selfless, Yuya! Thank you!"

Yuya really has to hold back a laugh at that. He stands and holds out his fist, and Sawatari taps it with his own—but kind of in a way that makes it seem like he’s doing Yuya a favor. He makes a lot of things seem like that, somehow. "I'll see you another time, then, Sawatari. You still have the same number, right?" He hasn't talked to Sawatari since graduation several months ago, part of the reason being that Sawatari and his family went overseas for a trip and Yuya definitely didn't want to spend extra money to text him. Not to mention Yuya got busy taking extra shifts and practicing for the auditions....

"Yeah. Maybe I'll deign to take your offer," Sawatari says with a smirk.

Yuya rolls his eyes again, then gives him a little wave. "I'll see you," he says before leaving the room. He stops, checking where he is, and then turns a corner to walk down a hall to where he hopes the exit is.

He turns a corner, then stops short, nearly walking straight into someone's chest.

He hurriedly backs up a step. "S-sorry," he says, then looks up.

"No, it's all right. You're fine, I hope?" the man says. He's probably in his late thirties or forties, tall, broad-shouldered, with some thinning pale hair on his head. His nose is particularly thin and Yuya has the wild thought that he doesn't want to get pecked by it.

"I'm fine," Yuya says, and then the man gives a little gasp.

"Oh, excuse me," he says, and he takes Yuya's hand in both of his, shaking it. "You're Sakaki Yuya! I watched your audition. You were excellent. I've seen most of the final auditions so far and I must say, you truly do shine out among all the rest. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Akaba puts you in as the lead."

Yuya blinks, finding the man's grip quite strong, but he grins and bears it. "W-why, um... thank you."

"I should've expected as much from a Sakaki. You really do have Yusho's talent, I can see it very clearly."

That feels like a punch to the gut, but Yuya's grin just grows. "Thank you... Um..."

"Oh! Where are my manners?" The man finally lets go of his hand and reaches into his breast pocket, pulling out a business card and handing it to Yuya. "My name is Jean-Michael Roget. Please call me whatever you'd like. I am an agent representing the Arcadia Agency of Actors. We find amazing talents such as yourself and help them find the best places to shine in. I'm sure all of us there would love to get to know you better." He flashes a brilliant smile. "Please keep us in mind during your time here at LDS, and please don't hesitate to ask me about anything."`

Yuya blinks at the business card, then looks back up at Roget. "T-thank you. I..." Things are finally starting to process through his head. Is this an... offer? An actual scout—no, _agent_? "T-thank you, Mr. Roget."

Roget just shakes his head, smiling all the while. "I'm afraid I do need to get back to the auditions. I'm looking forward to seeing where you go from here, Yuya," he says, and with that, he gives a nod and continues on, leaving Yuya stunned for billionth time that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....You guys didn't think I'd just leave this as a cute fluffy au did you?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the cheesiness continues

When Yuto comes into work, the new girl, Serena, is sitting at the break table, chin in her hand. She huffs a little as she texts rapidly on her phone.

Yuto doesn't know her well yet—she works in the kitchen and Yuto's usually out making deliveries—but... well, he has a few extra minutes before he has to clock in. "Something up?" he asks.

She glances up from her phone. "Oh. Hi, Yuto." She's a bit curt, but she's always been civil and nice in her own way. "I just have to miss part of something tonight until my shift is over and my girlfriend can come pick me up. I'm not gonna get there until pretty late."

Yuto gives her a sympathetic smile. "Yeah. That's the problem with this job. Most of the shifts are always late."

Serena leans back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. "I know. Just sucks 'cause a mutual friend or something is hosting it and he's loaded."

"Oh?" Yuto raises his eyebrows. He wonders what a party like that would be like. He only ever went to one or two during college, and never by his own choice. Shun and Ruri aren't that into them, either. "Well, it's a shame then. Sorry."

Serena shrugged. "It is what it is. Thanks though."

"No problem." Yuto gives her another smile before clocking in and going to check on the orders. The kitchen is a whirl of activity, with flour in the air, pizza sauce on everyone's clothes, and cheese in random places on the floor and even the walls. Another Friday.

Another... possible Yuya Orders Pizza Day.

Yuto feels a blush rise up on his cheeks. There's no reason to think that there's a pattern to Sakaki Yuya ordering pizza. Yuto's only delivered to his place twice. They just... both happened to be on Fridays... for the past two weeks.

God. _God_ , why can't he just get over Sakaki Yuya? There's no reason to like him. Except for his smile... and his laugh... and how genuine and nice he'd been when giving Yuto that huge tip. Yuto would be lying if he said that the prospect of seeing Yuya on Friday—if Yuya really does have a habit of ordering of Fridays—wasn't what got him through that week....

Yuto heads to the table, about to check on the orders, when raised voices reach his ears. He frowns and looks into the hallway, finding Yugo and Shun standing there. Yugo's got his hands balled into fists in front of him and he's speaking excitedly, but Shun is just shaking his head, his arms crossed.

"I'm telling you," Yugo insists. "I really saw him! Jack Atlas!"

"I don't care who you saw, Yugo. The fact is, you got a speeding ticket on the company moped. That's coming out of your pay."

"But Shun! I'm serious! I was at the light and he just pulled up beside me on his motorcycle! I had to race him!"

"Oh, and I'm sure he's the one who challenged you to a race."

"No! I did! Though, he uh... kinda... looked at me and laughed.... But I didn't let that stop me! That was a once in a lifetime chance! I only wish I'd actually had my bike so he didn't overtake me so fast!"

Yuto just sighs and decides to go about his business, though he hopes Yugo won't get in too much trouble with Shun. Or his girlfriend, for that matter....

"I've got these ones," he calls, checking the black bags on the table. His face falls a little when Yuya's name isn't on any of the receipts. Which is a ridiculous reaction, he knows. It's not like they're friends or... anything more than that.

...Even though Yuya is _really_ cute...

He's also probably taken. No, _definitely_ taken.

Yuto's head has been spiraling like this for the past week. It's kind of the norm now, as sad as he knows it is.

Yuto tries to shove those thoughts from his mind and takes the delivery bags out to his car, putting them in the back before he hops in the front and starts up the engine. Music blasts from his CD stereo as he goes about the delivery run. It's pretty standard—some normal people who just don't want to cook on a Friday, then one small party, and one person who Yuto wishes would order less for his health. He gets a measly amount in tips and heads back toward the shop, passing Yugo sporting a pout as he goes at a moderate pace on the moped.

As Yuto goes back inside the shop to pick up the next batch of deliveries, a bit of hope starts to spark inside him. Yugo doesn't usually deliver in Yuya's direction, so maybe there's a chance the next bunch will have...

...anything but Yuya's name on the receipts.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, wishing he could just let this _go_ —

"What's with the face?" Shun asks from behind the counter. He's frowning. He’s also got a bit of sauce on his hat. "Between you and Serena, you'd think the world was going to end or something."

Yuto plasters on a smile and shakes his head. "Nothing! Just tired. I kinda just wanna go home and sleep. Ruri and I are gonna hang out tomorrow, so..."

Shun raises an eyebrow. Yuto knows that _he_ knows he's telling a white lie. Not about hanging out with Ruri, but about the reason he was down. But Shun only says, "Well, keep an eye out. I don't want you driving while getting too tired."

He checks the clock, then the oven. "Hey, mind waiting a minute? A huge order is almost done."

"No problem. I'll just put these ones in the car."

When the next order is all ready to go after a few minutes (it's a whopping four pizzas, four breadsticks, and some snacks and desserts), Yuto heads out again. He leaves the party order for last, since it’s pretty far out. All his other orders are regulars, but the order for this "Sawatari Shingo" takes Yuto out to the ridiculously expensive suburb of Maiami City, an area he's not familiar with at all. All he knows is at one end is where Jack Atlas supposedly lives (or at least just has one house—Yuto doesn't know how those people really "live"), and it's also the area where the mayor lives...

...Mayor _Sawatari_ lives...

Yuto gets a little nervous, suddenly. Not that he takes stock in making a show for rich people, but, well, he's never been here and he _does not_ want to seem like a deadbeat pizza delivery guy. Just a pizza delivery guy who's _not_ a deadbeat. You know, one who has a degree in architecture who can't land a job in his field.

Well, whatever the case, the one who answers the door definitely won't be the mayor. It'll probably be like... a butler. Wait, butlers actually exist, right? Yuto's never seen one.

He pulls up to a gate—an actual gated driveway—and stops. He blinks at it. The driveway has a handful of cars in it, one or two which look too cheap to be owned by the mayor. The house massive—three stories, with a balcony and garage and a lawn, too. Jeez.

Not sure what to do, he grabs the receipt and calls the number listed on it. The line rings a couple times, and then a feminine voice answers.

"Hello, this is the Sawatari residence. How may I help you?"

What, is this a _maid_? "Um, h-hello. I'm from Lancer's Pizza and I'm parked outside the, uh, gate. I have an order for, um, Shingo...?"

"Ah, yes. The young master is having a party tonight." Definitely a maid or someone of the like. Yuto feels ridiculously... poor. "The gates will open momentarily. Please pull up to the front."

The line cuts off, and the gates open, pulling into the walls at either side. Slowly, Yuto drives forward, trying not to gawk too much at the goddamn fountain he spots in the yard, and pulls up to the front. _God_.

He parks the car and turns off the engine, then gets out and grabs the first bag. He needs his hands mostly free to handle the money, after all. Now that he's outside of the car, he can hear music coming from one part of the house. Nothing too loud or major—there aren't too many cars here, so there can't be a lot of people here. It's probably more of a small, personal party. Maybe a birthday...?

He goes up to the door and rings the bell before taking a step back so the door won't open in his face (a lesson he's learned the hard way). He tries to put on a smile, or at least not look like he's intimidated as all hell. It'll just be the butler—er, maid—so what's the point, really, of—?

The door whips open, the force actually making a small wind that blasts him in the face, and a slightly flushed, wide-eyed, grinning Sakaki Yuya is there.

Wait.

_Yuya?_

Yuto's mouth falls open. "You... You live here? But..."

Yuya laughs and it sounds so sweet that Yuto thinks he might melt. His movements are a little loose as he smiles. "No, no.... It's my friend Shingo's house." He points to the delivery bag in Yuto's hands. "Means he's paying," he giggles.

Yuto suddenly remembers that he has business to do here. "Ah! Um, let me read off the receipt to you..."

"You don't ha—" Yuya stops, then grins. Now he's pretty flushed. Yuto wonders if he's actually drunk or just the type to get tipsy fast. "...Nah, go ahead. I'll listen."

Yuto's face feels warm all over. He reads from the receipt and somehow he feels like he's presenting something to a giant audience. Yuya's staring at him, and _God_ , Yuto's both thrilled and terrified. He also... wonders if Yuya even remembers the whole order when he finally goes, "Perfect!" as if singing.

Yuya holds out a wad of cash. "The tip is from me, though." He winks.

Now Yuto _knows_ he's red. "Y-you don't--"

"Oh, I don't have to. I want to. Take it," Yuya says, and he's pouting a little. It makes Yuto weak in the knees, both with how it's a bit scary _and_ ridiculously adorable.

Still, Yuto hesitates. "Um, are you... drunk...? I... wouldn't feel comfortable taking it if you were."

Yuya blinks at that. His smile turns soft. "No. Not yet, at least." He giggles. "I _am_ celebrating after all."

He holds the cash out further, and finally, Yuto caves and takes it, counting it carefully. The tip is thirty percent this time, not fifty, but the bill is so much more than Yuya's usual that the tip is good. Really good.

Yuto bites his lip, but then Yuya steps out and forcefully closes Yuto's hand. His skin is so warm. "Keep it."

Oh, God. Oh, _God_. Yuto's not sure if he's awake or dreaming right now.

Yuya suddenly pulls his hand away and scratches his cheek. "H-here, lemme grab this," he says and takes the delivery bag. "Just a sec," he says, ducking into the house.

 _Did he just... touch my hand?_ Yuto is still stunned.

"Uh," Yuya says, then takes out the boxes to put on a table in the entry way. He comes back a moment later with the bag. "I... shouldn't take this, should I?"

Yuto stares at him, then laughs. "No, no." Laughing suddenly makes him feel so much better. He takes the bag and turns. "I gotta put this back in the car."

"Lemme help you get the rest," Yuya says, following after him, and Yuto is pretty sure he's in Heaven right now because God, this is the longest conversation they've had.

Yuto opens the back door to his car and pulls the boxes out of one of the delivery bags before handing them to Yuya. "Careful, they’re hot..."

"I got `em," Yuya says, grinning and being careful to only hold the boxes at the edges.

"So... what are you celebrating?" Yuto dares to ask as he takes the other boxes out of the last two bags, then closes the car door with his hip.

"Shingo and I got into the LDS annual theater production." Yuya puffs out his chest and wobbles a little, and Yuto blinks at him.

“That… show they put on?” he asks. “Downtown? Oh, congratulations!” he adds hurriedly. “That must be a hard thing to get into, right? That must mean you’re really skilled!”

“Ah…” Yuya glances away. “T-thank you…”

Yuto can’t _believe_ how cute he is. He adjusts the boxes in his hands, realizing how hot they are. He nods awkwardly and starts walking back toward the front door, and Yuya keeps pace right beside him.

“…Did you get a good role?” Yuto asks, glancing at him.

“…The lead,” Yuya says at last. “Hamlet.” His eyes trail toward the ground.

Yuto hesitates. Yuya said he was celebrating… right?

“I think I read that in high school,” he says hurriedly, trying to keep the conversation going. Yuya seems uncomfortable and he _wants_ to change the subject, but he doesn’t know how without sounding like a total idiot. “All about… revenge, right? Because he thinks someone killed his father?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.” Yuya shrugs. Then, he smiles just a bit. “Ever seen _The Lion King_? Same basic plot. Just don’t say that to my old theater professor.”

Yuto’s relieved that Yuya’s smiling again, at least a little, but there’s no time to ask about anything else. They’re at the door.

Yuya pops inside to put his boxes down, then comes to grab the ones from Yuto. He pauses, and suddenly Yuto remembers that _they don’t know each other_. Yuto, just like always, is only Yuya’s deliveryman. This conversation they just had… this _small talk_ … was really just a fluke.

Yuto takes a small step back. “Well… enjoy your pizza.” He gives a small smile. “Have a good night and… break a leg?” They say that in showbiz, right?

Yuya smiles. “Thanks. You have a good night, too,” he says. He stays standing there, the stack of pizza boxes in his hands.

Yuto maybe wants to say something else, but he isn’t sure what—and then, a pink blur bumps into Yuya, and a girl (Yuzu’s her name, right?) dashes outside.

“Sorry, Yuya!” she calls, throwing open a car door. “I’m gonna be late! I’ll be right back!”

She slams the door and turns on her engine before backing up and hurrying out of the driveway. Yuto blinks, not really sure how to compute what just happened.

Yuya laughs. “Oops. Hope someone doesn’t get angry,” he teases, but when Yuto glances at him, he just shrugs and grins. “She’s got someone to pick up.”

“Oh, I see.” Yuto hesitates. “Um… anyway… yeah, have a good night,” he says again.

“You too.” Yuya’s grin remains.

Yuto nods, then slowly backs up before finally turning and going back to his car. He glances back as he gets in, seeing Yuya still standing there. He gives a little wave, and he can’t be sure, but maybe Yuya smiles wider.

Yuto starts his car and puts it in reverse, turning and going back down the driveway. He checks his mirror, and finally, sees Yuya go back inside the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this chapter instead of working on Christmas presents ;;

Shit.

Yuya's head aches, and he's pretty sure he needs another solid eight hours of sleep before he'll be able to stand the mall's awful, flickering fluorescent lights. Folding and hanging clothes isn't that much fun on a normal day even though Yuya tries to maintain a positive outlook at work, but on a day when he's got a bit of a hangover, it's awful. Terrible. Quite possibly the worst time of his life.

...Well, he may be exaggerating, but at the moment, it certainly feels that way.

If Yuya weren't spending a little too much lately (as in giving that _cute_ deliveryman the best tips he possibly could), there would be no way that he’d be at work now.

He runs a hand over his face, and Sora comes up beside him. "You should've taken the day off," he notes. Like always, he's got a bit of a teasing tone in his voice, but he says it softly at the very least, and Yuya knows that he's genuinely concerned for him. It warms him up a bit inside.

"Well, I'm here now," Yuya sighs. "So I don't want to just _leave_."

Sora gives him a sympathetic smile. "I'll try to take the customers and the register for you today. You just take care of the clothes unless something comes up. Sound good?"

Yuya blinks at him. He's not sure if Sora just said that, or if his slight hangover is worse than he thought. "You'd do that for me?"

"You're my coach, so of course!" It's kind of true. Sora's still in college, working on his own theater degree, and has always looked up to Yuya—and just to _Yuya_ , not _Sakaki_ Yuya. "Besides, think of it as a congratulations for getting Hamlet. I still wish I coulda made it to the party last night."

"Me too," Yuya says. He pauses. "Really, Sora. Thanks."

Sora just grins. "Maybe you'll owe me. I'm not sure yet," he says with a little laugh before he goes toward the front of the store, leaving Yuya alone.

As Yuya starts organizing the clothes in the back of the store, he wonders when his payments from the theater will start to kick in. He received both a letter and an email from the LDS theater division, but he hasn't exactly gone through it with a fine-tooth comb yet (he can hear Yuzu scolding him just _thinking_ about that fact...). He'll need to figure out the theater schedule so he can move around his retail shifts. Hopefully once he starts receiving those paychecks signed by Akaba Reiji, he won't have to take so many hours....

"Hello!" Sora's voice wafts over the racks of clothes, and Yuya glances up to see quite possibly the tallest, most hulking man he's ever seen, even compared to Gongenzaka and his family. He's wearing kind of baggy clothes and a hoodie, and all Yuya can think is he won't find his size _or_ style here when Sora's chipper voice pipes up again: "Oh, something for your girlfriend?"

Yuya decides to pay the guy no mind—he has more work to do anyway, and he needs to keep an eye on the front now since Sora's busy. Not to mention he can't hear too much over the music coming from the loudspeakers and the pounding in his ears.... Anyway, what was he thinking about before...? Oh, right.

Akaba Reiji.... Yuya frowns a little as he collects clothes from the dressing rooms. Before the auditions, Yuya's never _actually_ talked to him before. They met once or twice when they were both much younger, but... well, that was a long time ago. Reiji's always been an enigma anyway, not just to Yuya, but to everyone. The tabloids are almost always buzzing about him, raising theories as to why he took over his father's company at such a young age, if he has a secret lover, why the interest in Shakespeare's tragedies. Things like that.

Yuya, however, only really wonders why Reiji gave him the part of _Hamlet_ , of all characters....

The customer leaves and Yuya finds himself calming down a bit—with Sora up front, he would have to help other customers or handle the phone, which fills him with dread on the best of days—but just when he's about to breathe a sigh of relief, he can hear several voices as other people come in.

 _"Yuya,"_ Sora says through the earpiece, and Yuya's face falls. _"Sorry, but can you take the couple that just came in? There’s another group of girls, too, but I've got them."_

"Got it," Yuya replies, then steels himself and heads to the front.

"Hello, welcome to Odd-Eyes Emporium," he calls, putting on his best Customer Service Smile as he comes from around a rack of clothes. "My name is Yu— _ou're my pizza guy_!"

His mouth drops open and he points at the equally flabbergasted what's-his-name (God, how has Yuya _never_ gotten his name?). Even without his Lancers' Pizza jacket and hat, he's easily recognizable... but somehow even _cuter_ , what with those tight pants and wild hair that finally isn't contained. And yeah, he's wearing sleeves, but they're not baggy like the jacket and they kind of show off the definition in his arms—

The man's mouth drops open, but he's saved from saying anything when the girl next to him lightly slaps his arm. "Oh, another customer to introduce me to," she says with a laugh.

The young man blinks, looking between the two of them. "Oh, uh..." He gestures to him. "Ruri, this is Yuya. Um, Yuya, this is Ruri."

Yuya is so happy to hear him say _his_ name that he barely gets the girl's name. "It's nice to meet you, Ruri." He's suddenly struck by how pretty she is, with that long flowing violet hair and those pink eyes. Now that he looks at her a little more, he gets the feeling that he's seen her somewhere before, but he can't place her.

Ruri smiles. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Um," the man suddenly says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... still haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Yuto."

"Yuto..." Yuya can't help but smile, loving how the name rolls off his tongue. "It's nice to meet you. Well, officially."

Yuto smiles, glancing away as his shoulders hunch up a little. "It's nice to officially meet you, too."

Good _God_ , Yuto is cute....

Finally, Yuya remembers himself. Luckily, his body feels a bit better—he feels more energized after meeting (actually _meeting_ ) Yuto. "What can I help you with?" he asks, a genuine smile on his lips rather than one of the Customer Service Variety.

"Ruri wanted some clothes," Yuto says at the same time that Ruri goes, "Yuto, why don't we get you an outfit?"

They both pause, Yuto blinking dumbly while Ruri gives him a pointed look. Yuya frowns a little, not understanding their apparent miscommunication. Well, Yuya isn't all that unused to this, especially with couples—

His brain stops.

Ruri tugs on Yuto's sleeve. "Yuto," she says, smiling a bit stiffly. "Why don't you have Yuya help you get a new outfit? Or at least a shirt. You haven't gone clothes shopping in a while, you know, and you're running out of clothes that don't have pizza stains."

"But... we came here for you," Yuto says. "And I'm saving the money for the movie."

Yuya's chest gets heavy, and at that moment he wishes he could just sink into the floor. Still, he stretches that well-practiced smile across his lips. "I'm sure I can help you both find some good deals," he offers. "We have clothes that fit both your styles."

Ruri nods, but she's still looking right at Yuto. "Come on. I'm sure Yuya will help you find something that you like."

Yuto hesitates, looking between the two of them again. "...Okay," he says at last. "I can't say I'll buy a lot though. Sorry..."

Yuya just keeps smiling. "That's no problem." Usually it sort of is—he can get boosts in his paycheck if he makes more sales—but Yuto sounds so torn about it that Yuya can't help but forgive him.

...Even though Yuya is so torn up inside and would _definitely_ take the opportunity to cry if it presented itself.

"Let's go look for stuff for you first," Ruri says, pushing Yuto a little towards the men's side. "Yuya, do you have anything in Yuto's colors?"

Oh, Yuya already knows his colors. He might have come up with them during his more boring shifts when he wasn't mentally rehearsing lines.  Back when it didn't occur to him that Yuto might be taken.

"Right this way," he says, taking the lead toward the back of the store. He suddenly hears the two of them whispering behind him, too quickly and quietly for him to make out, but it makes him bite his lip all the same.

What did Yuya think, anyway? That the guy who delivers his pizza of all things is just… magically going to like him?

Yuya takes them to a rack with some darker-colored clothes. “I think you’d like something like this,” he says, taking a hanger with a forest-green button-up on it. He looks back at them to gauge their opinions.

“Good eye,” Ruri says at once. “Green is definitely Yuto’s color. Don’t you like it, Yuto?”

Yuto rubs the back of his neck. “Y-yeah. I’ll try it on.” He takes the hanger from Yuya, accidentally brushing his fingers.

Yuya bites his lip again and fights against the blush growing on his cheeks despite the way his heart squeezes painfully in his chest. This is so cruel. This is the _worst_. “Can I get anything else for you?”

Ruri pats Yuto’s shoulder. “You should get several to try on, don’t you think? Maybe a pair of pants, too? Oh, I’ll go look for those,” she says, then hurries off, leaving Yuto blinking.

“Ruri…,” he starts, but she’s gone. He sighs and casts a glance at Yuya, then quickly looks at the floor. “Sorry… Um, I don’t know what’s gotten into her. You’re probably busy, so you don’t have to help me….”

Yuya shakes his head. “No, don’t worry. This is my job, after all,” he says cheerily, but all he can think is how much he wants to not do this. “Do you want anything else? Something different?” he says, going to another rack. “Maybe something that’s not a button-up. Change things up a little….”

Yuto follows along after him, mumbling thank-yous as Yuya hands him a few more shirts. He looks so out of place without his girlfriend there with him, and Yuya feels kind of bad for him since she hasn’t come back yet…. “Let me take you to the dressing rooms,” he says finally when Yuto’s got a few shirts in his hands.

“Um, did you… have a good time last night?” Yuto finally asks. He scratches his cheek. “You seemed, uh, like you were enjoying it.”

Yuya pauses, totally getting the  _wrong_ picture in his head before he remembers what actually happened. He glances at him as he unlocks a changing room. “Yeah, actually. It was pretty fun. More laid back than I expected, since it was my friend Shingo’s place. I thought there would’ve been more people.” He remembers wishing that Yuto had somehow been able to stay….

Yuto hesitates, then smiles softly. “I’m glad you had fun, though. And… congratulations again. I’m sure you really earned that role.”

“…Thanks….” Yuya’s cheeks go a little red. He glances away. “Um, go on in. If you need anything, I’ll be right here.”

Yuto hesitates, then nods and goes inside. “Thanks, Yuya,” he says with a small smile before he closes the door.

Yuya immediately takes the opportunity to put his hand over his eyes, pressing his fingers against his temples. God, this is so unfair. First a bit of a hangover, and now this? Yuya’s never liked someone so… _instantly_ before. And certainly he's never liked anyone to this extent….

He hears footsteps and quickly puts his hand behind his back. Ruri walks over, a pair of skinny jeans in her hands. She flashes Yuya a smile. “Yuya,” she says, “which one is Yuto in?”

Yuya points, and she reaches up to hang the jeans over the top of the door. “Put these on to try with your shirts, Yuto. It’ll look nice on you, I think.”

“Thanks, Ruri,” Yuto says as the jeans disappear over the top of the stall. “Oh, these do look good. A little lighter than what I usually wear though.”

Ruri smiles even though Yuto can’t see it. “I’m glad. I just want to make sure you look good. None of the shirts cover your butt, right?” She looks to Yuya and gives him a little wink. She probably means for it to be friendly and nice, but it just makes Yuya’s heart plummet into his stomach.

“R-Ruri!” Yuto protests. “Come on….”

Yuya stretches that practiced smile across his lips. “You two are really cute together,” he forces out, feeling kind of like he wants to disappear.

Two things happen at once.

Ruri’s reaction:

“No, no,” she says, putting up her hands and waving them. “We’re not a couple—he’s like a brother to me.”

Yuto’s reaction:

“N-no, no!” he calls, and the dressing room door bursts open and he stumbles out, his shirt only half-buttoned and his jeans open wide at the front, revealing his dark grey boxer briefs. “She’s not my girlfriend!”

Yuya freezes, his eyes wide as he stares at Yuto. Yuto stares back. Ruri covers her face.

“S-sorry!” Yuto stammers, darting back into the changing room and all but slamming the door. “I-I’m _so_ sorry, Yuya. I didn’t mean to….”

Yuya’s still in shock. “It’s… it’s fine,” he says. He blinks and he can see the exact color of Yuto’s boxer briefs behind his eyelids. “It happens in this job.”

Something else occurs to him. _Did they say they weren’t…?_

The door opens a moment later and Yuto hurries out, back in his own clothes. His face is red. “Ruri, we’ll miss the movie if we don’t get going,” he urges.

“Huh?” She checks her phone. “But I think we’ll be fine.”

“No, I don’t want to be late,” he says. “Besides, isn’t everyone going to go see it? We need good seats.”

“Come on, Yuto,” she argues. “Just one thing. You need some new clothes.” She suddenly smiles sweetly at Yuya, and he feels pierced. “Yuya, that button-up was a good color on him though, right?”

Well, Yuya didn’t notice _that_ part all that much once he noticed the whole pants situation, but… “Y-yeah, it’s a good color.”

“Go put it back on,” she urges, corralling Yuto back into the dressing room. He glances at Yuya before his cheeks burn a brighter red and then Ruri’s shutting the door. “Just the shirt this time, though!”

Yuya looks away, needing a moment to collect himself. Too much just happened in too little time for his dehydrated brain to handle.

A moment later, the door opens again and Yuya looks up to see Yuto edging carefully out of the dressing room. He’s wearing that dark green button-up again and _God,_ it really is his color. The neckline shows off his collarbone, and Yuya suddenly feels really hot.

“That’s a good shirt for you!” Ruri says, clapping her hands. She turns to Yuya. “Don’t you think so, Yuya?” she asks, and he coughs.

“I think it looks very good,” he admits truthfully. He glances at Yuto and their eyes lock for a moment. Yuya quickly looks away.

“…I’ll get this one, then,” Yuto says quietly. “B-besides, Ruri, we really will be late,” he adds hurriedly as he goes back into the changing room.

She rolls her eyes. “Okay, Yuto,” she says normally.

Yuya took a breath. “I’m gonna… go get the register ready,” he says, then all but flees. God. His brain can’t compute anything at the moment.

Yuya closes his eyes for a moment when he gets to the register, trying to absorb it all. If Yuto and Ruri aren’t a couple, then… does that mean Yuto’s single? _Even if he is, it doesn’t mean he’s gay or bi_ , he thinks dejectedly. _Doesn’t mean he’s interested…._

…Besides, being so cute and… _hot_ like that, Yuto really _shouldn’t_ be single, unless he’s ace or something. It’d be like a crime if he _were_ single, though….

He hears voices, and he hurriedly logs his password into the register just in time for Ruri and Yuto to come up to the counter. Yuto’s still a little red as he hands over the shirt.

“Is that everything?” Yuya asks a bit automatically as he scans the bar code, but at least that gets _something_ out of his mouth.

Yuto nods. “Yeah, that’s everything.”

“You sure?” Ruri asks pointedly, confusing Yuya a bit, but Yuto just nods again, more stiffly.

Yuya rings up the final price and Yuto pays in bills rather than by card. Finally, that makes Yuya smile a little, and he lets out a small laugh.

“I wonder how many times we’re going to exchange cash,” he admits as he gets the change out of the register.

Yuto pauses, then cracks a smile. “A lot, maybe?”

“Oh, those are some cute earrings,” Ruri says randomly, going to a rack near the counter, but turning her back to them. “I’ll take a quick look…”

Yuya hands the change back, and Yuto pauses. “Um… really, Yuya. I’m sorry about that, earlier. I don’t know what, uh, came over me.”

Yuya’s smile comes easier as he folds up the shirt. “It’s okay. Like I said, it happens all the time in this job. Maybe just… not with that much yelling,” he admits, trying to hide his giggle behind his hand.

Yuto blushes again. “Did I… make a lot of noise? God, I’m sorry…”

Yuya shakes his head. “No, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t that bad.” He puts Yuto’s shirt in a bag and then hands it to him. “Here you are. Here’s your receipt, too…. There’s a coupon here,” he says, circling the spot with a highlighter. “Be sure to come back before it expires.”

Yuto smiles softly as he takes the receipt, but then there’s something… _sad_ in his eyes that makes Yuya pause. But before he can ask about it, Yuto just puts the receipt in his bag and says, “I’ll be sure to. Bye, Yuya. See you around.”

“Bye,” Yuya says, giving a little wave, and Yuto returns it before turning to Ruri. They leave, and Ruri waves goodbye, while Yuto takes one last look back. Yuya raises his hand, unable to help himself.

When they’re out of sight, he puts his head down on the counter. A few minutes later, Sora comes up beside him.

“I’m guessing you want to take your break?” he asks.

Yuya feels the last of his strength leave him. “I think I need to go home early.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! don't forget to leave a comment c:


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: mentions of fatal car accidents

Yuto’s heart is beating a mile a minute as Yuya’s voice comes from outside the changing room. “Come on, Yuto. I wanna see how you look!”

Yuto feels his cheeks heat up, but he really wants to show Yuya his outfit. Yuya picked it out for him, after all. The least he can do is show it off….

He bites his lip and unlocks the door, then steps out, looking around for Yuya. “Yuya?” he calls. “Where’d you go?”

“You think I’d want to stick around?”

Yuto freezes, a shiver running down his back. He turns around to find Yuya standing in the middle of the room, scowling.

Yuto backs up a step, his eyes widening. “Yuya?”

Yuya stalks forward. “Creep,” he snaps, then pushes Yuto backward. Yuto slams onto the floor in the changing room, grimacing, and Yuya stands over him.

“Leave me alone,” he says, and when he slams the door shut, Yuto wakes up from his dream in a cold sweat.

He blinks at the early-morning light coming in and shining on the ceiling. His breathing slows eventually, and he covers his eyes with his arm.

()()()

Since Yuto's graduated, he isn't as busy when he's not on shift. There aren't any papers to write or random assignments to be done. He's increased his hours, but that isn't enough to fill all his time, of course. Just then he's content once again to surf the net for jobs until it's time to go to work. He's even settled in the living room with his laptop on his knees when Ruri comes out of her room with her uniform on and her apron over her shoulder.

"Are you going to sit there again today?" she asks, hands on her hips.

"You know what happened the last time I went out," Yuto says. He shudders at the memory from several days ago. Yuya probably thinks he's a creep—well, at least dream-Yuya says so….

"That doesn't mean you can stay inside the apartment for the rest of your life," Ruri argues. "Get dressed and bring your laptop and a book or something. You're taking me to work and you're going to stay there today, not here."

Yuto blinks at that and it takes a moment to process. "Ruri, I'm not going to spend my day at the coffee shop."

"It's better than spending it in here," she argues. "Come on! Get out of that chair!"

He's about to protest when Ruri gives him a _look_ that's close to murder, and he shuts his laptop and leaps to his feet. "Okay, okay, gimme five minutes," he says before scrambling to get his things together.

()()()

The coffee shop is pretty snug, with big chairs and soft sofas next to tables made out of dark wood. It's warm and the music is low, and it makes Yuto a bit sleepy as he surfs the net.

Ruri puts a mug of tea next to Yuto on his table. "Any job offers online?" she asks.

"I'm looking. As always, not much." Yuto sighs and puts his chin on his fist. "At least, not much for people with no experience. But I put my name in one."

Ruri smiles. "One is better than none, you know. Also," she adds with a grin, putting a newspaper down on his keyboard. "Your crush made the news."

Yuto jolts, blushing. "Ruri...," he whines. Not for the first time, he wishes he hadn't told her about Yuya. But she's been supportive, especially the other day at the mall... even though it still ended up with Yuto wanting to die from embarrassment. And having nightmares about the incident.

Ruri just giggles and walks away. "Take a read. There's a whole article. I haven't had the time to look yet, though."

Yuto's still blushing. He looks around, but no one in the coffee shop is paying him any mind. He picks up the newspaper, unfolding it. Taking up the top is a picture of Akaba Reiji and a pair of women who look so alike that they can only be sisters. Further down the page are several professionally-done bust shots of some of the actors. Yuto’s eyes fall on Yuya’s, his hand on his hip and a confident smile on his lips. His ruby eyes are bright and clear and Yuto finds himself wanting to keep the picture.

… _That’s weird, Yuto,_ he tells himself, resolving not to do that. _That’s really stalkerish._

Well. He might as well read the article.

_This year’s LDS performance cast announced_

_Angela Raines_

_In a press release yesterday, LDS Corporation’s Akaba Reiji, along with the LDS media division, revealed the main cast for this year’s theatrical performance,_ Hamlet.

_Some members from previous years’ casts include Dennis McField as Claudius and Misty Lola as Gertrude. New faces include Sawatari Shingo as Polonius, Houchun Mieru (the youngest cast member) as Ophelia, and Morita Yuri as Laertes. Leading the play as the title character Hamlet will be newcomer Sakaki Yuya, a fresh theater graduate of Maiami U._

_The name might sound familiar. The first star of LDS’s stage almost 25 years ago was no one other than Sakaki Yusho, Yuya’s father, who went on the perform multiple times on the same stage as well as stages worldwide. He even appeared in several movies._

_Sakaki Yusho passed away roughly ten years ago in a car accident. He is survived by his wife, Yoko, and his son, Yuya._

Yuto stops for a moment, blinking at the line and rereading it several times before he can move on.

_Sakaki Yuya and other cast members were not present at the press release to provide comments._

_Akaba Reiji had this to say about the cast listing:_

_“We are truly fortunate this year to have such amazing talent, both new faces and old. Every single member has refined their craft to the utmost. This year in particular, I’m looking forward to what we can create together.”_

_Co-directors Gloria and Grace Tyler were also present at the press release. They expressed similar opinions about the cast, while Grace added that she was “especially excited to have talent like Sakaki Yuya on board.”_

_For generations, LDS Corporations have developed entertainment-related games and technologies, but only started theater production 25 years ago when the previous company head, Akaba Leo, began funding the project. Akaba Leo’s love for Shakespeare and other plays is shared by his son._

_A full casting list, including understudies and standbys, can be found on the company’s official website._

Yuya’s father… passed away? Ten years ago…. He seems to be about the same age as Yuto, so that would put Yuya at twelve or thirteen at the time of the accident.

Yuto’s never known his own parents—that was how he had met Shun and Ruri, since they were put in the same orphanage after their parents passed. Even after seeing Shun and Ruri suffer sometimes from missing their mom and dad, Yuto can’t really imagine what it’s like to lose and miss someone. Not like that.

…God, wait, what if Yuya was _in_ the accident?

He bites his lip and glances around the café before pulling up a new window on his laptop. He clicks on the search bar and types in _Sakaki Yusho death._ He hesitates, then hits the enter key.

Photos appear alongside a few of the links, most of professional photos of Yusho. One picture shows a hilly road marked with tire skids that lead into a broken guardrail. Yuto vaguely recognizes the road—it’s on the outskirts of Maiami City, leading out to a much more rural area. Maybe Yusho was going hiking or visiting someone out there….

He hovers over the first link: _Famed Sakaki Yusho and others perish in rainy multi-car accident; sole survivor LDS’s Akaba Leo…_

Yuto blinks, then immediately closes the window. No, even if it’s public news, this is… Yuya’s past. Yuto has no right to barge in on it and snoop around. If Yuya ever wants to talk to him about it (which will never happen, Yuto’s sure), _then_ he’ll listen. Yuto knows how much it sucks to have people pry about parents, anyway.

At… at least it seems like Yuya wasn’t in that accident, since the ‘sole survivor’ was Akaba Leo. Yuto can take some solace from that, even though the fact raises questions in his mind.

The bell on the shop door rings, and though it brings Yuto from his thoughts, he doesn’t pay it too much attention until a familiar head a pink hair flies past him. He blinks, watching as Yuzu slips on an apron before ducking into the back, presumably to clock in. “Sorry I’m late, I needed to give Yuya a ride,” she calls, and Ruri responds with, “Don’t worry about it!”

Yuto freezes. He glances up at Ruri behind the counter, and she looks back at him with wide eyes.

Then, a smile spreads across her lips.

Yuto just about slams his laptop closed. God, he knows that look. Shit, _this_ is why he felt that Yuzu was familiar. He must’ve seen her here before and thought nothing of it.

He’s about to jump to his feet when Ruri shoots him another look that pierces him and glues him to his seat. Yuzu comes back to the counter, and Yuto grabs his tea mug and dips his head, pretending to be engrossed in the newspaper.

Maybe Yuzu hasn’t noticed him. Does she even recognize him? God, he hopes Yuya didn’t tell her about the other day. The last thing he needs is his crush’s girlfriend to know that he accidentally half-flashed him.

“You haven’t introduced me to Yuya yet, right?” Ruri asks Yuzu. He can just hear her over the café’s soft music.

“No, I don’t think so. He doesn’t like coffee much so there’s no reason for him to come here,” Yuzu replies. “Though I mean, he _has_ been here before. So maybe you’ve seen him.”

“Is he the Yuya that works at Odd-Eyes Emporium?”

“Yeah, he works there, but it looks like he’ll be reducing his hours because of the theater stuff. I actually took him to practice today. Anyway, I didn’t know you met him!”

“Yeah, the other day. Actually…” Yuto feels a sudden sense of doom, and then: “Yuto?” she calls softly.

He looks up to see her beckoning him over. Fighting the dread in his heart, Yuto stands and goes over to the counter, clutching his tea mug. “…Need something?”

“Oh…” Yuzu points to him. “You’re our pizza guy.”

“Yeah. My name’s Yuto,” he says. He hesitates, then holds out a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Yuzu smiles and takes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m Yuzu.”

 _She… seems nice_ , Yuto thinks as he pulls his hand back. _Yuya’s lucky._

“Yuya helped Yuto pick out some clothes,” Ruri says, and suddenly he wants to disappear from existence.

Yuto takes a gulp from his still-hot tea, hoping he won’t have to reply, and Yuzu grins at them and says, “You know what? We should all hang out sometime.”

The tea nearly goes down the wrong pipe, and Yuto coughs, putting the cup down on the counter so he can hack into his sleeve.

Ruri’s eyes widen. “Yuto?”

He coughs a little more, then waves a hand. “N-no, I’m fine…” He pumps his chest. “I’m… I’m fine… A-anyway, I need to get going to work…”

Yuzu frowns. “Well, if you’re okay…. I do hope you come hang out sometime. I’ll give Ruri the details then?”

“Yeah, sure,” Yuto says, forcing a smile that he hopes doesn’t look strained. “I’ll look forward to it. See you two,” he says before turning on his heel and nearly crashing into a bespectacled woman. “S-sorry,” he stammers and retreats to his table to gather his things before he scurries out the door.

He puts his bag in his car and then sits in the driver’s seat, not bothering to turn it on for a moment.

If Yuzu’s really going to invite them to hang out… he _really_ hopes Yuya doesn’t think he’s a creep….


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from what I've researched, "understudies" are people who have a role in the production, but take on another role if the other actor can't perform. "standbys" are people who only take on a specific role if an actor can't perform. considering how big and important Hamlet is, I thought it'd be more appropriate for that character to have a standby rather than an understudy. (Hamlet speaks way too much.)

Yuya clutches at his hair and reads through his email for the tenth time. _Is it too official-sounding?_ he worries. _Too stiff? Do I look like I’m trying too hard?_

He sighs and then leans back and runs a hand through his bangs. “Whatever, he’s the one who gave me his business card,” he mutters to himself, then clicks the send button to deliver the email to Roget.

Immediately, he regrets it.

He sighs and rests his cheek on his hand. “It’s best to make connections, right?”

Gongenzaka looks up from the other end of the living room, where he’s once again at his weight training. His martial arts tournament is starting to come up, after all, so it’s a rare sight to see him _away_ from his equipment. “What’d ya say, Yuya?”

“Nothing,” Yuya says, then yawns. “Gonna get ready for bed. Another long day of rehearsal tomorrow.”

“Get some sleep,” Gongenzaka urges, and Yuya nods as he closes his laptop and gets up. Hopefully he won’t be thinking too much about Roget’s reply—or lack of reply—while he tries to get some shut eye….

()()()

“Don’t you think it’s a shame that Ophelia and Hamlet don’t get too many scenes together?” Mieru asks, putting a finger on her chin and fluttering her eyelashes at Yuya. They’ve only known each other a week on the job and she’s been taking every time they have a break together to come glue herself to his side.

Yuya rubs the back of his neck. He puts down his glass of water on the breakroom table. “Well, yeah, I guess. It’s not as easy to get a sense if Hamlet really cares about her or not before… well, everything happens.” It still doesn’t excuse the way Hamlet mouths off at her in the famous “get thee to a nunnery” scene. At least, that’s what Yuya thinks.

“I know, right?” Mieru sits on the armrest of his chair, much too close for Yuya’s liking, but he just bites his lip and lets it happen. “Even though I’m sure Ophelia adores him. But then again, he _is_ pretty distracted throughout the whole play….”

 _Yeah, with revenge schemes_ Yuya thinks, holding back a sigh, but he’s saved from having to reply when someone calls his name.

He looks up to find the glasses-clad assistant—Carla—poking her head into the break room. “Yuya, will you come try on your costume? Just for the first fitting.”

“Oh right, it came in today, didn’t it?” he asks, getting up. “Sorry, Mieru. I’ll see you later,” he tells her with a small wave but a quick exit, and she pouts.

“See you soon, darling!” she calls, and he fights back against the way his stomach tightens at that. It’s definitely a nickname he’s noticed she only uses with him, as a way to “get their characters closer,” as she put it.

Yuya ducks out into the hallway and smiles at Carla. She always seems a bit scattered, and today is no exception—strands of her dark-green hair frizz out of her bun, and her glasses sit a bit askew on her nose. Still, though, her enthusiasm—or, at least, her natural high-strung energy—shines through. “Come on, let’s go!” she says, leading the way.

“Just the first fitting, you said? I thought I gave you my measurements, right?” Yuya asks.

“You did,” Carla replies, checking her clipboard. “But the designers still want to see how you look in it and from there they’ll decide if they need to make something new.”

Yuya grins. “Sounds like fun. They’ve still got a lot of time, though.”

“Oh, they started work on the design even before you were picked. Though they had to make sure that the outfit… what was it?” Carla puts a finger on her chin. “‘Matches your natural palette.’ Well, and your standby’s.”

Yuya falters a little at the mention of his standby. “Well, I guess that makes sense….”

Carla turns and waves her hand to the dressing room door. “Here. When you’re done, Gloria wants you back practicing your scene with Chojiro.”

“Oh, sure, gotcha,” Yuya says, nodding and giving Carla a wave as he disappears into the dressing room. Instantly, the makeup artists are on him, giving him the costume and shoving him into the changing area, pulling the curtains closed to give him privacy.

Yuya grins a little at the costume. It’s medieval in a way that seems dorky to him—accurate and convincing, of course, but the poofy shorts-slash-tights of the time have always made him giggle no matter what the play. The material is black with red and white accents, drawing attention to Hamlet as the main character but still keeping his really emo mood.

He takes off his clothes, then hears the door open and the artists start to fuss over another person. Yuya just takes his time putting on the costume until he hears the new person reply, and the voice makes him freeze, one leg raised to put in the pants.

He hurries up, nearly falling over, just wanting to get out of there as fast as possible now. He bites his lip as he pulls the pants up to his waist. It’s a little tight… He puts on the sleeved, shoulder-padded shirt and buttons it, finding a similar problem around his gut. Shit.

He blushes a little as he comes out from behind the curtain. “Um, it’s… kinda tight…”

One of the artists immediately comes over to him and adjusts the clothes on him, while the other checks his clipboard and says, “We definitely gave you the right costume with the measurements that you gave us, Yuya. Maybe you put on a little weight? You’ll have to lose it. We can make adjustments, but it’ll be easier to do that if the clothes are too big rather than the other way around.”

Yuya’s cheeks burn more as he nods. The pizzas. He knows it’s the pizzas and the stress eating from worrying about his performance. “I’ll work on it. Just… I’ll get back down to where I was.” He can’t have gained _too_ much weight in this short of time. “I’ll fit into this and the other costumes too, I promise.”

The one adjusting his clothes looks at her partner. “The next ones we should have made just a little bigger, just in case. Like you said, we can always adjust downward more easily.”

Yuya bites his lip. He wants to argue, but… “You have a point. But I’ll still work on it.”

“Thanks, Yuya,” the guy says, and then he puts his pencil to his chin and hums in thought. “That’s really good on you.” He looks toward the other dressing curtain. “Kachidoki? Are you done in there?”

“Just finished,” Kachidoki replies, and Yuya’s blood runs cold as the purple-haired man comes out, wearing the same outfit as Yuya. The female makeup artist adjusts Kachidoki’s clothes, but they fit him perfectly.

Yuya casts a glance at him and gives him a smile. At least, he tries to. “That looks good on you.”

Kachidoki doesn’t even look at him, his jaw tight as he flicks a small piece of lint off his outfit. “Thanks. Fits nicely. Good color, too.” He looks up at the male artist. “This is a really nice one. You guys designed it well.”

Yuya tightens up and looks away from Kachidoki. “Y-yeah. It really suits the both of us, I think.” He scratches his cheek. “I actually need to go practice a scene—do you need anything else…?”

“Let me snap a few pictures,” the woman says, taking out her phone. Yuya complies to her instructions to hold his arms out and such, and she takes pictures from all angles. As soon as she’s done, Yuya escapes to change back into his clothes.

He’s known Kachidoki since high school, though they went to different colleges. Like Yuya, Kachidoki majored in theater and performed in plays and other projects, even getting many lead roles. There are hardly ever even a few months that go by where they don’t somehow cross paths, and it’s _always_ like this—ever since they were high school juniors and Yuya got a more important role than Kachidoki did. For the third year in a row.

He remembers clearly how Kachidoki came up to him afterward and jabbed his finger into his chest, telling him that he had no real talent and skill, only luck and a legacy.

Yuya’s never been able to get back around to Kachidoki’s good side, no matter how hard he’s tried. He wonders if he was ever even on it, really. Right now, though, he can only be thankful that Kachidoki’s his standby—he only comes into the play if Yuya himself can’t perform. They have no scenes together and, usually, no reason to talk to or even see each other.

Which is good, because as Yuya skirts past him to leave the dressing room, he finds himself really wanting to stress eat.

()()()

Yuya sighs and stretches his arms as he comes out of the back of the practice theater. The sun’s getting low, casting shadows on the curved road in front of the steps. It’s an easy place to get picked up and dropped off, and a lot of the other actors and workers are already piling into cars or walking to the nearby parking lot to head home. Yuya glances around, but he doesn’t see Yuzu’s car just yet.

He checks his phone, wondering if she messaged him that she’d be late—when his phone suddenly vibrates as a text from her comes in.

_Yuya! Sorry. Can u get a ride from someone else? Shop is swamped & I wanna talk to Ruri anyway! I’ll only be another 30mins if that’s ok?_

Yuya types out a quick response: _Np, I’m sure I can get a ride. If not I can just walk. Need the exercise anyway_

Her reply comes mere seconds later: _Thx! I’ll be over later. Pizza day right?_ And then while he’s typing, she adds, _Lemme know if you’re walking, I’ll pick you up along the way._

Pizza day… Yuya can’t help the blush that dusts his cheeks at the thought of Yuto. It is indeed pizza day. And he might’ve been thinking about Yuto… a _lot_ …. And that may have included a dream or two which may have involved the color of Yuto’s underwear.

So, despite knowing that he really shouldn’t get pizza because of his weight, Yuya replies, _Yup!_

He pockets his phone and looks around, wondering if Chojiro—the middle-aged man playing the ghost of Hamlet’s father—is still around. He’s a bit gruff, but a real nice guy anyway….

“Yuya!”

He gives a little start and turns to see Roget coming up the steps, giving a reserved but friendly wave. Yuya instantly realizes how sweaty and gross he feels from his full day of reading lines and practicing, and he’s in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and nowhere near presentable enough for this.

Yuya waves back and hopes his smile doesn’t betray how nervous he is. “Mr. Roget… How are you?”

“I’m very good, Yuya, especially after getting your email,” Roget says, stopping in front of him and smiling. He’s _so_ tall that it makes Yuya feel a bit intimidated—well, more than he already is, in front of such a successful agent. Roget reaches out and takes his hand to shake it. “I’m very glad you decided to get in touch! So much so that I thought it best to come see you in person. Well, I _was_ in the area,” he adds. “I hope you don’t mind if it’s a bit sudden.”

Yuya shakes his head. “No, not at all….”

Roget glances at the road. “I’m sorry—are you waiting for someone?”

“W-well, actually, it turns out she can’t pick me up, so I was going to walk home,” Yuya says, still too stunned to say anything worthwhile to the man who could possibly give him a future career.

Roget frowns. “Walk home? Where do you live?”

“Just over in Entame Heights,” Yuya stammers. “Um, but—”

“That’s too far a walk,” Roget insists. “Why don’t I drive you? I’m sure you must be tired after practicing all day.”

Yuya balks. “N-no, no, I can’t put you out of your way like that—”

“No worries at all, Yuya,” Roget says, and he turns and puts his hand on Yuya’s shoulder, extending his other arm as he leads him down the steps. He points to a white Lexus. “My car’s right there.”

Yuya bites his lip, but he’s trying to force himself to relax. “If you… really don’t mind….”

“Of course I don’t!” Roget opens the passenger-side door for Yuya, waiting for him to slide in before closing it behind him. Yuya sets his bag in his lap and straps in his seatbelt, and he feels way too sweaty and gross to be in such a luxurious car. Not that he and his mom don’t have money from his father’s career and inheritance, but Yoko’s never been the type to buy things that are this extravagant.

Roget gets in the driver’s seat and starts up the car before buckling. “Entame Heights isn’t a far drive from here. It’s just off Hippo Ave, right?”

Yuya nods. “That’s right.” He pauses. “Thank you again, Mr. Roget.”

“Don’t mention it.” Roget casts him a smile as he pulls the car away from the curb and starts driving. “How have you been adjusting to such a high-profile production, Yuya? I know it’s only been the first week.”

Yuya rubs the back of his neck and glances out the window. “Um, well, fine I guess? I need to order less pizza so I can fit in my costumes….”

“You can always order salads from those places,” Roget points out. “You’re probably too busy to cook, anyway. You should set aside more time for keeping in shape, though.”

Yuya nods. He didn’t think about the salad thing. At least that way, he can still have Yuto deliver his food every week without him gaining more weight….

He opens his mouth to say more, then stops, looking away.

Roget catches that from the corner of his eye. “You can tell me, Yuya. I can always offer you advice. That’s what adults—well, older adults than you—are for, in my opinion.”

Yuya hesitates, then elaborates. “The girl who plays Ophelia is, uh, she seems to be really… into me, and—”

“I advise against getting into things like that,” Roget says at once, his tone going a bit sharp. “It’s distracting, and if things turn south, it’ll affect your performance.”

“Oh, no, no, I know that!” Yuya says at once, waving his hands. He feels his cheeks heat up, and he’s glad Roget’s looking at the road. He wonders if saying he’s more into guys than girls would be a plus or minus in Roget’s book, but decides to keep quiet on that until he’s got a better read on that from him. “I’d never date a cast member, and I don’t like her or anything. I’ve just… never known how to deal with that kind of attention. Even though it happens… more than I’d like.”

He looks out the window. It… feels good to dump these problems on someone willing to listen, especially someone who has experience in this field. “My standby, too—whenever we’ve been in the same productions, he’s always gotten a less important role than me. And this time we have the same part, but I’m still the main actor. I think he’s always resented me for stuff like that. Since, uh… maybe it’s my dad’s name getting me those parts….”

“Yuya…”

Roget turns the car into Entame Heights. “Which building is yours?”

Yuya points, and Roget pulls up in front of it and parks. Then, he turns to Yuya, leaning his elbow on the center console. “I didn’t mention this to you before, but I actually knew your father.”

Yuya’s eyebrows go up a little. “You did?”

Roget nods. “You know, same circles and everything. He’d talked to me about doing some projects, but we didn’t get to them before he passed. Even then, I knew he was a good man, and an even better actor.”

He points to Yuya’s chest. “You know, from what I’ve seen, you’ve got that same talent your father had, but more importantly, you’ve been working to develop it into a real _skill._ You may have the Sakaki name that gives you both the good and the bad, but that doesn’t mean that you haven’t _earned_ the roles you’ve gotten. Trust me, Yuya—you’re good at what you do.”

Yuya stares back at him for a moment. Then, a smile forms on his face. “T-thank you, Mr. Roget. That means a lot coming from someone like you.”

Roget leans back and smiles. “I’m glad to help you however I can, Yuya. Please don’t hesitate to send me another email or even call me if you need some advice. This is a hard business we work in, you know. We have to help each other when we can.”

Yuya nods. “I agree. Thank you again, Roget.” He unbuckles his seatbelt. “If you don’t mind, I’m sorry, but I do have plans tonight….”

“That’s no problem, Yuya. I’m glad I could help you, at least somehow. Have a good night.”

“You, too,” Yuya says, smiling before he got out of the car. He walks over to his staircase and then turns, waving to Roget. He waves back before reversing the car out of the parking spot and driving away.

Yuya lowers his hand and lets out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. Then, a grin spreads across his face, and he turns to dart up the stairs. He has some pizza—and a salad—to order.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that Yuto is a gay disaster
> 
> also it was really hard not to put in really bad "putter" jokes...

Yuto bites his lip and shifts his weight back and forth, trying to figure out if he should run away from Yuya’s front door. He really wishes that he hadn’t put on that forest-green button-up that he bought from him. He’s _working_. It’s too nice a shirt for work, even if he does have the big jacket over it.

Also, it’ll definitely get Yuya’s attention. Maybe too _much_ of his attention. He can’t help but remember the dreams he’s been having. God, what if they come true? Yuya could just… get sick of him and push him down those stairs behind him. Yuto wouldn’t blame him.

But still… Yuya… _did_ order food tonight. Yuto expected him not to….

He takes a breath. No… he can’t back down now. He may be an idiot for standing there in his nice new shirt (still under the jacket, mostly), but he still has a job to do. And… Yuya’s nicer than _that_ …. Far, far nicer…

He knocks on the door, and then a few moments later, it swings open to reveal Yuya. He’s grinning under a mop of wet hair and dressed in that _SMILE WORLD!_ shirt and a pair of shorts that reaches his mid-thigh. A fruity scent wafts out with him, and Yuto blinks before realizing Yuya must’ve just gotten out of the shower.

Yuto’s cheeks flush red. He can _feel_ the heat radiating off his skin. He purposely keeps his eyes up at Yuya’s face and not below his waist. At least that’s a skill he’s managed to develop on this job…. “H-hi there,” he says.

Yuya’s smile turns sweet. “Hi, Yuto. How are you?”

Yuto wants to melt at hearing his name rolling off Yuya’s tongue. His knees feel weak. “I’m… I’m good, Yuya.” He can’t help but smile when he says _Yuya_. “I’m good. Haven’t been…” He suddenly loses all track of his brain as he tries to make a friendly joke. “H-haven’t been flashing anyone or anything.”

Oh god. Yuto’s whole body freezes despite the heat coursing through him. Why would he _say_ that? Abort. _Abort_.

Yuya laughs, his voice light and beautiful as he doubles over and clutches his stomach. “I should hope not,” he jokes back, wiping a tear from his eye. He stands back up straight and gives him a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry about that at all, Yuto. You’re not the first person I’ve seen do that. Or worse.” He giggles again. “And you probably won’t be the last.”

Yuto’s heart pumps faster, if that’s even possible. “Ah… W-well… sorry?” he says, unsure what else _to_ say. “That part of the job… sounds kinda annoying.”

Yuya laughs and scratches his cheek. “Well, it’s not always that bad.” He glances away, then—before Yuto can even attempt to figure out what _that_ means—he says, “Hey, um, let me get the money….”

He retreats into the apartment, leaving the door open, but comes back after just a moment.

“Oh, wait,” Yuto says, getting out the receipt. “Your order was, uh, different than usual….” He hopes Yuya won’t think it strange that he noticed that. “Just one pizza and breadstick, then two salads?”

“Ah, yeah.” Yuya rubs the back of his neck. “Gotta go on a diet so I can fit into my costumes.”

Before Yuto can reply, Yuya holds out the cash. “Here, take it.”

Yuto takes it and casts a glance at it just to know that… it’s _still_ more than enough. Even for a polite tip. He opens his mouth, about to protest, but Yuya just goes, “No, keep it; don’t worry.”

Yuto still hesitates. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Yuya says. He holds out his hands and grins. “Just gimme my order already, it’s fine,” he laughs.

Yuto finally lets out a little chuckle. He stashes away the cash and pulls the pizza and breadstick boxes from the bag and puts them in Yuya’s hands, then places the bag containing the salads on the boxes. “Here you are….”

Yuya smiles, and it seems like he’s about to pull away when he pauses and his brows furrow. Then, the smile turns into a grin. “Is that the shirt you bought from me?”

“Ah…” Yuto’s heart jumps. He glances away and scratches his cheek. “Um, yeah. Probably… shouldn’t wear it to work, though. But I, uh, like it….”

“I’m glad,” Yuya says, his red eyes so soft and pretty that Yuya’s _definitely_ sure he’s going to melt. How could he have been nervous that Yuya would hate him? He’s just… _so_ nice and sweet….

Just then, Yuto hears some footsteps just before a pair of hands grab onto the doorframe and Yuzu pokes her head out. “Hi, Yuto!”

Both boys jolt back as if they’ve been caught—luckily, Yuto isn’t close enough to the stairs to fall down them. He feels a cold sweat break out on his skin. God, what if—what if Yuzu thinks he was flirting with her boyfriend? Not that he _did_ …. Er, did he?

Yuto shuffles on his feet. “Hi there, Yuzu.”

Yuya’s face is a little red. “Give us a warning next time you jump in,” he says, whining a little.

Yuzu laughs but otherwise ignores Yuya. “Hey, Yuto. I was talking to Ruri today at work and we thought it might be fun if we all did something together. She said you’re free tomorrow night.”

Yuto blinks at her. “You… want to do something?” He looks from her to Yuya, and then his heart leaps into his throat, making it hard for him to think. “With me?”

“You and Ruri. And maybe her brother, too,” Yuzu explains. She looks to Yuya. “It would be fun, don’t you think?”

Yuya stares at her, his mouth falling open a little. Finally, he goes, “…Yeah.” He glances at Yuto, and then his gaze falls to the floor. “That would be really fun…”

Yuto’s sweating. “Um… I mean—I can’t impose on you—”

“No, no, you’re not—I’m _inviting_ you guys,” Yuzu insists. “Ruri and I were really thinking about doing something. We should all go out.”

Yuto bites his lip. He… _really_ wants to spend time with Yuya and get to know him better. Even if… just as a friend. “…Sure. It sounds like fun.”

He catches the way Yuya glances up, his face alight with a smile. “Really?”

Yuto’s paralyzed by that look for a moment, but then he nods. “Yeah. I’ll go.”

Yuzu grins. “Okay. I’ll text Ruri about it later.”

“Oh,” Yuya says suddenly. “You should get going, shouldn’t you? You’re still on the clock.”

“Oh, you’re right.” Yuto scratches the back of his neck and takes a step down the stairs. “I’m sorry. I kept you guys from eating….”

“No, don’t be sorry,” Yuya says. He adjusts his grip on the boxes so he can give a wave. “Have a good night, Yuto. Drive safe.”

Yuto nods and gives a little wave back. “Okay, I will. I’ll… see you guys tomorrow.”

He leaves and pretends not to hear the sudden whispering between the two as the doors close. But even if he tried to listen, he doesn’t think he’d be able to take anything in.

()()()

He doesn’t get the chance to speak to Ruri about everything until almost noon the next morning, after he’s crashed. Ruri, who doesn’t work nearly as late as Shun and Yuto do, is the apartment’s sole early-riser. Yuto finds her at the kitchen table, looking through her textbooks.

She looks up and smiles at him. “Good morning!”

He eyes her too-wide smile and the way her eyebrow raises up. “You… planned things with Yuzu, didn’t you?”

She grins. “We’ll be leaving right after lunch. You should go take a shower and get ready. How about that shirt you bought from Yuya?”

He’s in a bit of a stupor. “I… wore it yesterday. I have to wear something else.”

Yuto pauses. He studies her face a bit more. “We’re really going?”

“Yes, we are.” She giggles. “Are you excited?”

“More like my stomach is in knots,’’ he admits. “You… didn’t want to warn me or anything?”

“Ah, well… I knew you’d try to get out of it,” she says. “And I want you to have fun and get to know Yuya. You don’t get out much.”

He rubs the back of his neck. “You know nothing… can come out of this, right?” he says quietly. “Between me and him.”

Ruri’s eyes soften. “Yuto… I want you to at least try, okay? Yuzu says that he’s really nice. I know you’re worried… but I’ll be there too, okay?”

Yuto looks away, trying not to bite his lip. “Ruri… I told you that I like him.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Yes, you did. And?”

He gives her a look, not getting why she… isn’t _getting_ it. “…Yuya and Yuzu are _dating_.”

She blinks at him. “Yuto…” Then she stops and stands from the table, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You should ask Yuya about this.”

Yuto instantly shakes his head. “No—”

“You should,” Ruri insists. “Trust me. Being upfront with him is the best option. Whether or not he can return your feelings, I think he’d appreciate the honesty. He seems to like you as a person, you know. I can see it. Can’t you?”

“Ruri…” Yuto shakes his head again. “I mean, he’s friendly, but… he’s probably friendly with everyone.”

She gives him a flat look. “Yuto just—just think about it, okay? Now go take a shower, you still smell like pizza.” Then she giggles. “Maybe he likes that smell though, who knows?”

He flusters. “Ruri, come on…,” he starts, but she just giggles again and gently pushes him back toward the hallway so he can get to the bathroom.

“Go get ready. I’ll wake up Shun, make us lunch, and call Yuzu. Maybe not in that order,” she muses, then gives him another push.

“Where are we even going?” Yuto asks, resigned to the fact that he has to go even though his whole body is screaming at him that this is a bad idea. Well, maybe not his whole body. Part of him is… _really_ excited to go.

Ruri just winks. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll drive.”

()()()

Shun sighs as he holds his mini-golf club. “It’s not long enough,” he grumbles. “You know this is part of why we don’t go mini-golfing”

Ruri laughs. “I guess you’ll be at a disadvantage,” she teases.

They’re waiting outside the main building of the outdoor mini-golf course. Yuto holds his purple golf ball, rolling it around in his hands. He thinks he’s already sweating. God, why did he wear longer sleeves? He’ll sweat more. Hell, why did he _agree_ to this?

“Hey!” someone calls, and he snaps his head up to see Yuzu trotting up to them, waving. Behind her, coming more slowly, are Yuya and—to Yuto’s surprise—Serena. They’re all carrying putters and golf balls, all different colors. Yuya has a bright red one just like his hair and eyes, and it strikes Yuto as being so cute that it makes him smile dumbly.

“Sorry we’re late,” Yuzu apologizes. “Serena lives in the opposite direction and there was a bit of traffic.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Ruri says, waving her hand. “We weren’t waiting very long.” She indicates her brother. “This is Shun—I don’t think you’ve met.”

Yuzu shakes her head. “No, but I’ve heard about you from Serena,” she says to him, and smiles. “Nice to meet you—I’m Yuzu.”

“I’m Yuya,” Yuya puts in, raising his hand in a friendly wave to Shun. “Nice to meet ya.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Shun says. Usually he’s terser, but his afternoon off seems to have put him in a good mood.

Serena looks at Shun and gives him a grin, raising her putter. “I know you’re my manager, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on you.”

Shun laughs at that. “You’re on.”

“You just said we don’t go mini-golfing,” Ruri giggles as she follows Yuzu, who leads the way to the first hole. “I doubt you’re going to be good at it.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try hard, Ruri….”

Yuto keeps glancing at Yuya, trying not to make it seem too obvious. But then Yuya falls into step beside him, and Yuto’s heart leaps into his throat.

Yuya smiles. “I’m glad that you came. I mean—I know you said you would, but it’s still good to see you.”

Yuto feels his skin heat up. Yuya’s smile is a little too bright to look at directly… but as soon as he glances away, he turns back. “Well I… said I would.” His whole face tingles with a blush. “It’s, um, nice to see you too, Yuya.”

Yuya stares at him for a moment, then glances away, scratching his cheek. “Thanks…”

Yuto tenses. _Why is he looking away? Did I say something wrong?_ He struggles to find something to say, but then he has to stop because he nearly runs into Shun’s backside.

“Who’s first?” Yuzu asks, looking at them all, and Serena shrugs and says, “You might as well go first, babe.”

Yuzu rolls her eyes, but smiles and takes her turn at the little tee. “Thanks, _dear_.”

Yuto gives a little start, but no one else seems to share his surprise. Unsure what else to do, Yuto inches a little closer to Yuya. “Um… ‘babe’…?”

Yuya gives a little laugh, and god, does it sound so sweet. “Yeah, Yuzu hated it when Serena first started calling her that,” he explains, a little quietly so not to distract Yuzu, or Ruri, who’s giving her pointers. “Serena did it on purpose. But now it’s stuck and she isn’t bothered by it. She does her own thing to get Serena back.”

Yuto frowns, taking that in, but then he shrugs and gives a little laugh. “They seem pretty close.” They’ve probably been friends for years.

“Haha, yeah, of course they are,” Yuya says. He looks to Yuto, leaning in a little close, his eyes shining. “Hey, are you any good at mini-golf?”

“Uh…” Yuto’s stunned by how excited Yuya seems. He rubs the back of his neck. “Not sure. Haven’t done this in years. Um… how about you?”

Yuya shrugs. “Haven’t been since last summer. My mom and I used to go all the time, though, and we’d bring my friends Sora and Gongenzaka, too. Dad loved taking me and Mom when I was a kid, so she still makes sure to take me.”

Yuto’s smiling until Yuya mentions his dad. He falters, not sure what to make of that—Yuya so casually mentioning his late father. “Ah—well, uh, guess you have more practice than me, huh?”

Yuya’s eyes flash with something that Yuto can’t quite put into words, but then he just shrugs. “All it takes is a steady hand, really. If you have trouble, I’ll show you how.”

He looks forward, and his face lights up a bit. “My turn?” he asks, and Serena rolls her eyes and says, “Yeah, good thing we didn’t wait for you long.”

Yuya trots up to the tee and drops his golf ball. Yuto watches closely as he lines his hands up carefully, his right hand over his left thumb. He squares his stance, wiggling his hips, and eyes his target. Then he pulls the putter back and swings through, and the ball sails down the straightaway and sinks right into the hole.

Yuya’s whole face lights up and he pumps his club into the air. “I did it!”

“Good job!” Yuto says, beaming, and Yuya looks back at him with such a radiant smile that Yuto feels his heart flutter.

“You’re already in the lead,” Shun says, writing Yuya’s score down on the scorecard. He looks to Yuto, startling him back into the moment. “You’re last—come on.”

“Oh, already?” Yuto hurries to the tee as Yuya hops aside. Yuya gives him a smile and a “Good luck.”

Yuto hopes his face isn’t too red. He nods—he doesn’t trust himself to speak—and puts his purple golf ball on the tee, then carefully lines his hands up on the putter, trying to remember how Yuya did it. He glances toward the hole and angles his body, widening his stance, and then hits the ball. It zips down the straightaway, but shoots past the hole and plinks off the low bricks lining the green, sailing into the air and landing in the grass outside of bounds.

He flusters. “Guess I’m gonna have to do that again….”

“You can do it,” Ruri cheers, but Serena snickers and says, “Maybe Yuya should give you some pointers.”

Yuya rubs the back of his neck. “I’m not _that_ good, Serena….” He glances at Yuto. “But I can if you want.”

“Um, no, I’m fine,” Yuto says, nearly panicking. “I mean—if I really suck, then yeah, but I’ll… be fine…”

Yuya bites his lip, then gives a little smile. “Well… just let me know….”

Yuto nods, his cheeks warm. “Okay…”

They continue on through the course. The place is pirate-themed, with chlorine-scented pools separating some of the greens from each other. There’s a cave area that Shun can barely stand in without hitting his head on the ceiling—a fact that Ruri teases him mercilessly about. Another hole is designed like a prison and cell, with a plastic skeleton wearing shabby clothes sits behind bars, a small treasure chest clutched in his hands.

Ruri snorts at the sight. “At least he still has his booty.”

That brings up laughs, though Shun rolls his eyes and reaches over to flick her forehead. Yuzu keeps giggling and sets up her ball, and Yuto takes the opportunity to borrow the scorecard to check who’s winning.

Shun and Serena are evenly matched at the top—despite Shun’s having not done this in years, he _is_ a jack of all trades. Next is Yuya, then Yuzu and Ruri, and…

Yuto’s face falls. It’s not like he wasn’t expecting this, but still…

Yuya peers over his shoulder. “Aw, don’t let that get you down, Yuto. You’re having fun, right?”

That puts the smile back on Yuto’s face, although now he’s flustered in Yuya’s presence. “…Yeah, I am.”

Yuya grins, and then he opens his mouth to say something, but then a blue golf ball smacks into his shoulder.

“Ah—Yuya!” Yuto reaches out and puts a hand on his arm, just as Yuya touches his own shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Yuya’s silent for a few seconds as if taking stock of himself, then nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He lets out a breath of laughter. “Just surprised me, is all.”

“Sorry, Yuya!” Serena calls, coming over to check on him. “I didn’t mean to—Yuzu distracted me, and I hit the ball too hard, and then it bounced off the wall—”

“I did not!” Yuzu protests, her face red, but Serena just looks back at her and sticks out her tongue.

“Well anyway, I’m fine,” Yuya says, and that’s when Yuto notices that he still has his hand on him.

He snaps his arm back and looks away. “W-well, at least no one got hurt, so that’s good.”

Yuya rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’m fine, Serena. No worries.”

“Okay, then I guess I’ll retake the shot,” Serena says, retrieving her ball.

Shun plucks the scorecard back from Yuto. “Want me to take that stroke off your score, or Yuzu’s?”

“I don’t care if you’re my manager—I’ll hit you with this if you do either,” Serena says, leveling her club at him. That earns more laughs, but Shun just gives a chuckle and says, “I wasn’t serious. This time.”

Ruri takes her turn next. Yuto’s attention shifts back to Yuya, who’s checking something on his phone. Yuto takes the moment to watch him—he’s got the tiniest smile on his lips, and he’s so cute—but then when Yuya glances up, Yuto quickly looks away.

His gaze falls on Serena and Yuzu, who are standing a bit away from the group. Yuzu says something quiet, and Serena smiles softly before leaning in and—

…pecking her cheek.

Yuto freezes. A… kiss…? But…

No, maybe it’s just a friend thing. Do girls do that? Ruri’s never done that—not that he’s seen, at least.

He glances back to Yuya, but even though he’s facing mostly in the same direction, he’s focused on Shun taking his turn and doesn’t seem to notice. Maybe that means… this is usual for Serena and Yuzu?

It… _has_ to be just a friend thing…. Yuzu and _Yuya_ are dating, and Serena mentioned once about having a girlfriend. They… must just be close…. Yuzu _can’t_ be cheating on Yuya right in front of him—Yuto doesn’t think that lowly of her.

It’s making his head spin, and he almost misses Yuya calling his turn.

For the next few holes, Yuto keeps glancing at Serena and Yuzu, trying to keep discrete. But now they’re holding hands, and Yuto is suddenly… not sure about _anything_ anymore.

On their way to the last hole, a hand lands on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks while the others continue on—although Yuya looks back and hesitates for a moment before leaving them be.

“Is something wrong, Yuto?” Shun asks, frowning. “You’ve kinda been a mess all afternoon, but especially now. If you keep up the staring, you’re going to creep out the girls.”

Yuto rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry, I’m just… thinking. I’ll stop.”

Even as he says that, though, there’s a cheer from up ahead. Yuzu pumps her fist into the air, yelling about a hole-in-one, and then promptly turns around and kisses Serena’s lips.

Yuto’s whole perception splinters at that, and he grabs Shun’s sleeve to keep himself steady. “Shun, they’re lesbians.”

“Yeah, and you’re a creep.” Shun gives him a flat look. “You’d think that being gay, you’d—”

“Shun,” he says again, looking up at him. “They’re lesbians.”

“They could be bi,” Shun says without a hint of amusement in his tone. “Yuto, what’s going on with you?”

Yuto shakes his head. “I’m—I’m fine,” he says, but that’s a lie. His brain feels both like it’s moving at a thousand miles per hour and stuttering to a halt, if that’s possible. God. _God_. Then is Yuya…?

His legs stumble toward Yuya—he doesn’t know what makes Shun let him go, but he does—and Yuya turns when he sees him coming up. “Yuto, are you okay?” he asks quietly, his brows knit together in concern. “You seem a little… off.”

Yuto scratches his cheek, and suddenly his shyness catches up with him and flusters him. “Um… Yeah, yeah I’m just…”

Yuya tips his head. “Yuto…?”

“Um, I…” He laughs a little. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but, um… I didn’t know Yuzu and Serena were dating. It surprised me.”

Yuya blinks at him. Then, his eyes widen a little and seem to… dull. “Oh, so… you came because…?” He bites his lip and looks down. “Well, I mean, Yuzu’s bi—we dated in high school, nothing really came out of it though—but she’s really happy with Serena, so… sorry….”

Now it’s Yuto’s turn to blink at Yuya. “What…?” It takes a moment for Yuya’s words and meaning to register in his brain. Then: “No!” he blurts, eyes wide, and he waves his hands.

Yuya starts. “‘No’?”

Yuto shakes his head and lowers his voice. “I-I mean—I’m not interested in Yuzu. I’m, um—”

He stops, suddenly worried that Yuya will freak out if he says _gay_. Fewer people freak out nowadays when he reveals that info, but… he’s suddenly terrified to take that chance. What if Yuya thinks he’s gross, or… or into him? Well, obviously, Yuto’s _into_ him, but he doesn’t want Yuya to think he’s into him in a… _creepy_ way.

Before Yuto can decide what to say, Shun calls out, “Hey Yuya, it’s your turn!”

Yuya jumps a bit, then, after casting a glance at Yuto, hurries to the tee. “Sorry…”

Yuto bites his lip, his whole body feeling tense, his stomach swirling in knots. He watches as Yuya sets up, his body stiff too, his focus on the game shaky. He hits the ball, and it darts forward, bouncing off the bricks erratically. When it stops, it isn’t close to the hole.

Yuya rubs the back of his neck. “Well… I’ll get there.”

Yuto closes his eyes and takes a breath. He takes his turn next, and he does even worse, his ball going all around the hole several times before he finally manages to sink it in. He takes last place—as he expected.

Serena’s ultimately the winner, and everyone claps and congratulates her. Yuto joins in half-heartedly, trying not to look at Yuya. He follows the others as they laugh on the way back to the main building to return their golf clubs. He keeps his eyes down.

Shun checks his watch. “We should get going, Ruri. I’m still working later tonight.”

“Oh, right,” Ruri says. She glances to Yuto. “Is that okay…?”

He knows what she means by asking that. He hurriedly nods. “Yeah. I’m getting kind of tired anyway—long shift last night….”

“Well, I’m glad you guys came!” Yuzu says cheerily. “We should all do something again. Maybe our friend Gongenzaka can join us then….”

Serena grins and puts her hands on her hips. “Yeah, more people for me to beat. Let’s do go-karting next time.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Serena,” Shun says, crossing his arms and smirking. “You don’t have a license.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with driving a go-kart well.”

They laugh and continue their banter, and Yuto glances over at Yuya. Their eyes meet, and then Yuya looks down immediately, his lips set in a thin frown, and plays with the pendant around his neck. Yuto knows that he should say something, but… he really doesn’t know what.

They split ways, and for the rest of the night, Yuto can’t get the image of Yuya’s saddened expression out of his mind.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> went on a bit of a hiatus, sorry. hopefully I won't be in as much of a dry spell for Yuto's chapter next.

Sunlight streams in through the window, hitting Yuya’s eyes, and he hisses. He leans just enough out of bed to pull the curtains the full way across the pane, then rolls over and curls up, pulling the covers over his head.

Exhaustion pounds in his skull. Maybe he can get more shut eye before he has to get up….

He does manage to nod off again, and he’s not sure for how long, but his dreams are filled with golf balls going in every direction and Yuto’s pretty face downturned and cold. He starts awake, sweat all over his skin, and he puts a hand over his eyes and lets out a long sigh.

His phone buzzes, and he reaches toward the dresser. He fumbles the phone into his hand and pulls it close, squinting when he turns on the screen.

A message from Yuzu. _Are you okay?_

He bites his lip and squeezes his eyes shut, running a hand over his face. He knows he can’t lie to her, though. Yuzu can sniff out lies from miles away.

 _Didn’t get much sleep last night._ He leaves out how his stomach still hurts from how it roiled with worry all night. And how his dreams were muddy and jumbled and full of Yuto’s face.

 _Try to rest_ , Yuzu replies, and he knows she’s right. But how can he rest anymore? His brain is already jumbled with questions.

Yuto… acted funny after he realized Serena and Yuzu are dating. Yuya at first wondered if that meant Yuto only agreed to come to mini-golf to try to get close to Yuzu, but… he vehemently denied that. And… Yuto didn’t _talk_ to Yuzu much.

 _Maybe Yuto… likes Serena?_ Yuya wonders. They _are_ coworkers. But Serena’s never been shy about saying she’s a lesbian. And, well, Yuto didn’t try talking to _her,_ either.

Yuya grabs at a blanket and presses it against his face to muffle his groan. “What were you trying to tell me, Yuto…?”

()()()

The week goes by at about the pace that a slug drags itself across the ground. Yuya goes to a couple work shifts, fending off Sora’s questions about his pale face with lines like _I’ve just been practicing a lot lately_ and _I guess Hamlet’s emo-ness is rubbing off on me, huh?_

He notices that more people seem to be coming to the store, and when he mentions that to Sora, his friend gives him a grin and a wink.

“It’s because someone famous works here,” he says.

Yuya wants to argue. His _father_ was—is still—famous, not him. Yusho made sure he and his mom stayed out of the limelight as much as possible, although it wasn’t like they were kept secret. But… well, he supposes that since his name and face are linked to one of the biggest performances of the year… he has no argument.

()()()

On Monday, he gets home after a long day of reading lines and fitting into costumes and squinting at stage lights, not to mention getting ogled by Grace and Mieru, the latter of whom latches onto him whenever she can. At least Kachidoki mixed it up by glaring at him.

He sighs and collapses onto his beanbag chair. Gongenzaka frowns and says, “Yuya, what’s wrong? You’ve been in a funk for a few days now.”

He just shrugs and curls up. “Just tired.”

Then, after a few moments of _feeling_ Gongenzaka’s stare even though he’s not looking at him, Yuya sighs. “Guy trouble,” he admits. “Don’t really wanna talk about it.” He’s… not even sure what to talk _about_. Yuto just… being so _friendly_ but then _not_ , and just… _Does_ he like Yuzu or Serena? It makes his head hurt trying to sort it out.

“Whenever you need me, Yuya, I’m here,” Gongenzaka says. “You know that.”

That, at least, makes Yuya smile a little. “Thanks, Gongenzaka.”

()()()

He gets a text from Yuzu. _Do you want me to ask Ruri about it? I mean have her ask Yuto directly._

 _Nonononono,_ Yuya replies, his stomach swirling with nerves at that. Well, his stomach has been roiling whenever he thinks about Yuto these days. Even though he can barely stop thinking of him and his sweet smile, and how much he wants to see it again. _Just let it be._

_You’ve been “letting it be” for days, Yuya. Are you ok?_

_I’ll get over it,_ he replies, and it’s _probably_ true, but at the moment, he isn’t quite sure.

()()()

Yuya checks his phone when he gets to his dressing room. Friday. Pizza day. Well. The _usual_ day he orders pizza…

He sighs and starts to change. Maybe he should just… _stop_ ordering pizza. Yuto certainly doesn’t seem interested, whatever’s going on with him. And Yuya could still stand to use some inches off his waist, anyway…. And maybe just forgetting about Yuto would be better for his mental state….

Not that he really _wants_ these things, but…

He’s taking the shirt of his costume off the rack when there’s a knock on the door, followed immediately by Carla poking her head in.

Yuya jumps, giving a little shriek and covering his chest with the shirt. “Carla! Don’t just come in here!”

Carla averts her eyes, but still doesn’t leave. “Sorry, but I _did_ knock! Besides, I only have eyes for Jack Atlas…,” she swoons, putting a hand on her cheek.

“Are you sure you should be saying that when you’re married?” Yuya says, eyeing the ring on her finger.

“My husband understands,” Carla says, waving off his concern. “Anyway! Just a heads up that Mr. Akaba is here to check in on things today. It sounds like he’s brought his family.”

“He is?” Yuya blinks. Reiji hasn’t come in too often so far—or, really, if he does, Yuya only catches glimpses of him. He thinks that maybe the producer should be more hands-on with his own work, but… well, he _is_ a busy man, as far as the tabloids are concerned.

“Yup,” Carla says. “So be on the lookout.”

“Okay, thanks for the warning,” Yuya says, and then, with one hand, he makes a shooing gesture. “Now could you please leave?”

“Oh, oops!” Carla says, and she waves her hand as she disappears.

Yuya waits a moment to make sure that she won’t barge in again, then changes into his outfit. He smiles a little when he feels that his arms and stomach don’t feel quite as tight against the fabric, but he feels that he could still stand to lose a little more weight. _That way I won’t be as likely to gain too much again,_ he thinks absently as he leaves his dressing room and makes his way to the stage—then, promptly, has to stop short to avoid falling over someone who only comes up to his thighs.

“Ah!” The pale little boy holed up in a hoodie jumps back. His blue eyes, already naturally large, are wide. “I’m sorry!”

“No, sorry, it’s my fault! It’s okay.” Yuya kneels down and puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Sorry I scared you. Are you okay?”

Slowly, the boy nods, his gaze trailing downward. “Yeah…”

“I’m Yuya.” He grins. “What’s your name?”

The boy shuffles on his feet and plays with the hem of his hoodie. “My brother says I’m not supposed to talk to strangers…”

“Well, that’s a fair point.” Yuya doesn’t want to try to convince the kid otherwise, but still… he can’t just leave a _kid_ wandering around alone. “Where is your brother?”

The boy puts a finger to his chin. “Well… My brother was talking to someone and I got bored. I kept going…” He slaps his hand over his mouth, his gaze meeting Yuya’s. “I talked to you…”

Yuya has to hold back a laugh—the kid is so cute and innocent that he almost wishes _he_ were the boy’s sibling. “Who is your brother? I know you shouldn’t talk to strangers, but if I know your brother, maybe I can call him—”

“Reira?”

Yuya turns, seeing a tall man striding over. Yuya’s so close to the ground that the first thing he notices is that the man’s white, shiny shoes. Then he spots the long red scarf dangling from his shoulders, and the first thought that goes through his mind is _I didn’t know Akaba Reiji doesn’t wear socks_.

“Brother!” Reira turns to him (are they brothers? Yuya’s never heard of an Akaba Reira in his life) and a smile breaks out on his lips as he wraps his little arms around Reiji’s legs.

Reiji pats his head. “What did I tell you, Reira? Don’t run off without me or Mother while we’re out. I don’t want you to get lost.”

“Sorry, Brother,” Reira says, his shoulders hunching. “I just… got bored.”

“Well, just don’t do it again, all right? I promised that if you behaved, I would play with you later.” Reiji says this with his usual seriousness, but… there’s an underlying warmth in it that makes Yuya blink in confusion. Then he realizes that Reiji is now looking at _him_ , and he slides that practiced smile on his face. Luckily, little Reira is adorable, so the smile is pretty genuine.

He stands, still a bit flustered, but luckily his producer beats him to speaking. “I’m glad Reira ran into you and not someone else.” His voice is more even and measured, betraying no emotion, and it makes Yuya wonder if just earlier had been a fluke. “Thank you, Yuya.”

Yuya nods. “It’s no problem. I wanted to help more, but Reira here knows not to talk to strangers.” He grins down at Reira. “Good idea, by the way,” he adds, and Reira starts a bit and hides behind Reiji’s legs, peering out.

An almost imperceptible smile slides across Reiji’s lips. He kneels down and puts his hand on Reira’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Yuya isn’t a stranger. He’s… an old friend.”

 _That_ floors Yuya. Friends? Their _fathers_ were friends. _They_ met only a few times when they were kids, as far as Yuya can remember. Reiji… _can’t_ think that much of him. It just doesn’t make sense.

Still, he knows enough not to say anything and keep smiling.

Reira looks up shyly from under his hat. “Ah… really?”

Reiji nods. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“Um…” Reira shuffles on his feet, looking between his brother and Yuya. Yuya gives him a reassuring smile, and finally, Reira stiffly bows. “H-hello… I’m, um, Akaba Reira. It’s nice to meet you…”

Yuya waves back. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m Sakaki Yuya.” He grins and gives Reira a peace sign, winking. “Professional up-and-coming actor, at your service. I hope we can be good friends, okay?”

“Ah…” Reira plays with his hands, and then, a small smile spreads across his lips. Just with that, it’s like his whole face blooms. “Me too!”

Reiji stands, letting out a small chuckle that sends everything Yuya knows into a tizzy. “I hope so, too.” He looks to Yuya. “Now, I’m sorry, but I think we both have somewhere to be.”

Yuya starts. “Oh, shi—” He stops himself from cursing just in time, which is good because Reiji’s stare has suddenly turned harsh. “Um—I’m sorry for keeping you, Mr.—”

“Reiji is just fine,” he interrupts. “Mr. Akaba is my father.”

That line feels like it’s ripped straight out of a movie, but Yuya keeps his mouth shut on that one. “Reiji. Sorry. Uh, I’ll—I’ll see you…” He waves to Reira. “Bye-bye!”

“B-bye!” Reira calls, waving back timidly as Yuya hurries off, trying to figure out what the hell just happened there.

()()()

When Yuya gets out of the theater that night, he yawns and stretches, then pulls out his phone. He’s about to check for messages from Yuzu when suddenly his phone buzzes, loudly beeping the tune to the Hip Hippo theme song. A blonde’s face pops up on the screen, and he scrambles to answer it. “Mom?”

“ _Yuya! Look to your right_ ,” Yoko says, and Yuya blinks in confusion and looks toward his right, down at the road. Yoko is leaning against her minivan, the one she refuses to sell even though he’s moved out (“Yuzu’s dad might need a hand with his cram school, you never know!”). She waves, then says through the phone, “ _I have your things! Come on!”_

Yuya blinks at the sight, and then he hangs up and stiffly marches over. “Mom!” he says when he gets to her. “What are you doing here?”

Yoko giggles and opens up the passenger door for him. “Picking you up and taking you home for a little R n’ R, of course,” she says. She waves her hand to the seat. “Your chariot awaits, Yuya.”

Dad’s old joke _does_ get a snort of laughter out of him, and he shakes his head. “Fine,” he says, then climbs in, buckling up, and in the back seat he sees his duffel bag.

Yoko closes the door behind him, and he pulls out his phone. _Did u help my mom kidnap me?_ he texts Gongenzaka.

Yoko gets in the driver’s seat and straps in, then starts the car and pulls away from the curb. “I have all the prep done for dinner _and_ desert tonight, so when we get home it won’t be a long time until dinner. You can help if you want, but the dogs do miss you.”

“Sure.” Yuya leans his chin on his hand, his elbow against the door. “How do you know if I don’t have work tomorrow?”

“I texted Sora,” Yoko says with a smile. “How’s he doing? We should have him over again sometime soon.”

Yuya’s phone buzzes with a text from Gongenzaka. _No. Went home for the weekend to train, didn’t even know she came. Must have been this afternoon. Your mom has a key right?_

Yuya side-eyes her. She definitely has the spare. “Why’d you use the key? You know it’s only for emergencies.” He shrugs. “This is kind of like kidnapping, you know.”

“Whoa there, strong words,” Yoko says, reaching over with one hand to lightly punch his shoulder. “I’m your mom, for one. And two… Yuzu called me.”

Yuya snaps his head toward her, his heart jumping into his throat. “What?”

“She told me you’ve been in a funk ever since—”

“ _Mom_ ,” he whines, then promptly turns his whole body away to fold his arms and pout, looking out the window at the sunset-lit cityscape. Even as he looks, the passing buildings rapidly turn smaller and more spaced out. “I don’t need you to solve my problems.”

“I’m not trying to, sweetie,” Yoko says evenly. “I just think being at home, having someone make you dinner, and getting to cuddle your favorite pups will put you in a much better mood.”

Yuya huffs. “That’s what you say now.” Later on, she’ll start to grill him, he knows….

“Don’t use that tone with me, young man. Don’t you want your mama’s pancakes?”

He pauses, turning his head to look at her. “…Yes.”

“Good.”

()()()

Full and perhaps a bit drunk on all the sugar from maple syrup, Yuya’s curled up on the couch with a blanket over his body and one of the tiny dogs on his lap while the TV blares. He absently pets the pup, his brain falling into a happy haze that he hasn’t felt for a long while…. Well, if a week is a long while.

He might have come over in a bit of a pouty mess, but… being at home and relaxing without a care has put him in a better mood.

Yoko comes over and hands him a warm mug. He smiles and takes it, sipping and sighing contentedly. It’s hardly the season for hot chocolate, but he doesn’t mind. “Thanks, Mom.”

Yoko has her own cup, and she sits at the other end of the couch, tucking her feet under the blanket. “What’re you watching?”

Yuya shrugs. “I’m just flipping…” He’s not as big about watching TV anymore. He can just watch what he wants on Netflix. He prefers getting to choose, anyway. There’s always the chance that he’ll change to a movie channel and find one that his dad starred in. Not that his dad is an unwelcome sight, but… he’d rather have a warning first.

He glances at his mom. She’s sipping from her mug. She clicks her tongue when their old, fat cat comes over. He looks up at her, then meows and jumps into her lap, curling up.

“Mom,” he says after a moment. “Thanks…”

Yoko smiles. “You’re welcome sweetie. Sleep in as long as you want tomorrow, okay? I’ll take you back anytime.”

Yuya smiles and curls up a little more. “Okay.” He leans back against the cushions, then says, “…How much did Yuzu tell you?”

“That you’ve been in a funk for a week,” Yoko says, jumping easily into the topic. “Since you went on a not-date with that Yuto pizza guy.” She tips her head. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Yuya sighs, looking down into his hot chocolate. “I don’t know… I thought we were having a good time. He was always really nice and—” He almost says _cute_ , but he really doesn’t want to say that to his mom. “—um, _seemed_ like he was… into me…?”

Yoko frowns a little. “How can you be sure of that? Did you talk to him?”

“I… gave him big tips,” Yuya admits, then takes a big sip of his hot chocolate to avoid looking at her.

She raises an eyebrow. “People usually do that with strippers, you know.”

“M-Mom!” he flusters, and for a moment, the image of a flustered, half-naked Yuto flashes through his mind—like it has a billion times already. “Don’t say that!”

She just smiles, looking highly amused. “Don’t mind that, then. But did you ask him to go with you guys?”

“Not… me… Yuzu invited him.” Yuya rubs the back of his neck. “I think I told him I’d like if he came…” He paused. “But then he… seemed really startled when he saw that Yuzu and Serena were dating. Then I thought… he might have come along because Yuzu asked him…”

He sighs. “But he said he _wasn’t_ interested in Yuzu… It looked like he was going to say more, but he got interrupted. And then he didn’t say anything to me after that.”

Yoko crosses her arms, taking a sip from her mug. “And that was the last time you spoke to him?”

Yuya nods.

Yoko raises an eyebrow. “And it didn’t occur to you to ask him directly about whether he likes you or not?”

“Um…” He flushes. “That’s weird, Mom. He’s my _pizza guy_.”

“When your dad met me, I led an all-girl biker gang.” She shrugs. “People like who they like, Yuya. Did it ever occur to you that maybe Yuto likes you, and he’s just as shy about this as you are?”

Yuya swallows a lump in his throat. “I thought… _maybe_ … but not really…”

“ _There’s_ your problem.” She points at him. “You haven’t asked him directly. Neither of you have. Nothing is going to be solved if you keep dancing around each other.”

He bites his lip. He knows she’s right, but he doesn’t want to _admit_ it. “But Mom… What if he _doesn’t_ like me? I… don’t even know if he likes guys.”

“If he doesn’t like you, then you just have to respect what he wants. Not that I think you’ll have a problem with that. But maybe he’ll still want to get to know you. I know you, Yuya, and you don’t just like people for no reason; he must be a good person.”

She smiles, leaning a little closer. “But you’ll never know until you ask. Isn’t it better knowing a concrete answer rather than constantly wondering ‘what if’?”

Yuya shifts. “You… have a point.” He’s had other troubled times, of course, but this _not knowing_ feels like it’s taken the cake.

“Of course I do. I’m your mom.”

That pulls a laugh out of him, and he shakes his head. “I’ll… I’ll try, Mom.”

“Good.” She grins. “And when he tells you he does like you, you should get to know each other first before going out on more romantic dates.”

The blush returns to his face immediately. “Mom!” He gets up, the dog grumbling a little and staying on the couch to try to get comfy again. “I’m going to bed.”

She laughs. “Get some sleep, sweetie. If you need any advice, you know where to find me.”

“Yeah, sure,” Yuya says, rolling his eyes and walking away. But just before he leaves the living room, he stops. He looks back at her and smiles softly. “Thanks, Mom.”

She waves her hand back at him, smiling contentedly before going back to petting the cat.

He heads to bed, and it’s not until he’s snuggled up under the covers and half asleep that he remembers that it’s pizza day.


	10. Chapter 10

_He hates me. He hates me. Oh, God, he definitely hates me._

How can Yuya _not_? The awkward half-flashing, the hesitant conversations, and—to top it all off—being so secretive as to why he was so surprised at finding out about Yuzu and Serena dating.

Part of him knows it’s premature to come to this conclusion after just one time that Yuya didn’t order pizza on his usual night. Logic dictates that any number of events could have come up, like work or a party or an upset stomach. Anything can happen on a Friday night, after all.

But after everything that’s happened, Yuto isn’t exactly rational at the moment.

He sits at the kitchen table, his leg bouncing up and down as he tries everything to distract himself from thoughts of Yuya while he eats breakfast. Checking his phone, reading the paper beyond the job listings—he even leafs through one of Ruri’s textbooks before deciding that a book on veterinary medicine is not something he wants to look at while he’s eating.

Still, each time he loses concentration just for a moment, Yuya’s downturned, confused expression pops into his head.

Shun finally comes out of their shared bedroom, yawning as he adjusts his old pajama shirt. He frowns when he sees Yuto. “What’s got you so high-strung?” he asks as he continues on to the pantry to get out the instant coffee and start the coffeemaker.

“I’ve gotta quit,” Yuto says at once. “I can’t do this job anymore.”

Shun stops, raising an eyebrow at Yuto’s terse tone. “I know it sucks, but I think the smart thing to do would be to find another job _first_.”

Yuto turns to look at him. “Can’t I work in another part of the shop?”

“On such short notice? Not many people have a car or a moped license for deliveries, and I don’t think Yugo wants to work for us any more than he already does.” He gives him a pointed look, his yellow eyes sharp even though he’s only been awake for about five minutes. “What’s this really about?”

Yuto bites his lip and shifts. “Ah… W-well…”

Shun’s eyes narrow. “Was someone creepy to you last night?”

“No, no.” Well, not any worse than usual. He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just… don’t think I can deliver to Yuya. He probably doesn’t want to see me anymore.”

“Oh? Why, because you were being weird about Serena and her girlfriend?”

“Exactly,” Yuto says, and Shun blinks like he didn’t expect to be so spot-on with that. Yuto continues: “He’s got to think I’m some sort of… stalker-y freak. He didn’t even order anything last night like he usually—” He stops, flustering. He looks down at his lap. “Like he… usually does…”

“I see why you might think you’re a ‘stalker-y freak,’” Shun says, the frown staying on his lips.  “If you’ve picked up on his habits.”

“It’s—it’s not like I haven’t noticed when other people order,” Yuto stutters. “Like, um, Mr. Jounouchi always is my first delivery on Thursday nights, and he usually—”

“Yuto, I get it,” Shun says, “but I can’t have you switch positions on such short notice and not when there are so many others who _can’t_ make deliveries.”

“You have a car. Can’t I switch with you?”

“Do _you_ want to be assistant manager?”

Yuto blinks a bit at that. “Not… _particularly_ , but—”

“Yuto, just calm down, okay?” Shun grabs his freshly-brewed cup of coffee and goes to sit beside him. “You can’t jump to conclusions after one day where he doesn’t order pizza. He might’ve had other plans. You must’ve thought of that, right?”

Yuto flushes. “Well… I did think about that, but—”

“Yuto,” Shun cuts in, his yellow gaze freezing him. “I know I’m the last person qualified to give you dating advice, but _seriously_. Just talk to him and go from there. You’re not a kid.”

He sighs and takes a sip of coffee. “Sorry… I’ve only been awake about ten minutes.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Yuto mutters. “I didn’t think about that.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, just…” Shun purses his lips and rubs the back of his neck. “If it’s bugging you so much, ask Ruri’s friend to help you get his number or something.”

Yuto grimaces. “Shun, I can’t.”

Shun raises a hand to keep him from continuing. “You’ve got to stop being so stubborn. If you keep this up, nothing will change.”

He’s about to continue when there’s a buzzing sound, and he pulls out his phone, taking a moment to read the message. “Can you pick up Ruri today? It’s gonna rain and she forgot her umbrella.”

Yuto sighs, letting out his frustration from earlier. It’s easier to get his mind off of it now that there’s a task he can focus on. “Yeah, I can.” He pauses, looking up. “Wait, I thought you weren’t busy today.”

“Someone called in sick.” He shrugs. “More money for me. Now, I’ve got a few hours before I’ve gotta go out. You wanna play some Smash or something to get your mind off things?”

Yuto manages a smile. “Yeah. That sounds like a good time.”

()()()

It’s really pouring out when Yuto parks at the coffee shop that afternoon. He sits for a moment, listening to the rain plink against the car roof. He’s content to wait, since the sound is really relaxing and distracting, but then his phone buzzes from its place connected to the stereo. He grabs it to check the messages. It’s one from Ruri: _Gotta help a new person in back. Come in and wait :)_

Well, it’s not like Yuto works until later that night, anyway. He turns off his car and adjusts his raincoat, then hops out of the car, closing and locking the door before hurrying inside.

It’s not like it’s cold at this time of year even when it rains, but the dampness and the greyness of the sky makes him feel a bit chilled. Besides, he didn’t sleep well the night before, and he doesn’t want to miss his shift. He might as well get a coffee… Besides, he doesn’t really want to wait around inside without buying anything.

He gets up to the counter and orders a latte in a to-go cup, in case Ruri’s ready to leave before he’s finished. When he’s got it, he turns around, scanning the shop for a place to—

Yuto freezes, nearly dropping his latte as his gaze locks with Yuya’s. He’s sitting in the far back corner at an otherwise empty table, a couple packs of paper in front of him and one hand wrapped around a mug. He smiles, his eyes lighting up, but somehow his expression still seems a bit tight.

Yuya lifts his free hand, then waves him over, and Yuto’s pretty sure his heart skips a beat.

Ruri. Ruri did this on purpose. He’ll have to have a talk with her later.

He wants to run, but there’s no way he can do that and still make himself seem socially acceptable, so he forces his legs to move him stiffly toward the table. His lips curl up in a nervous smile that he’s pretty sure screams _please don’t actually think I’m weird._

“Hi,” he says, his voice nearly catching in his throat as he awkwardly stands beside the table.

“Hi,” Yuya says, his tone much brighter. “You going somewhere?”

“Just waiting for Ruri to get out of work.” Yuto shifts a little. “I don’t know when she’ll get out right now, so…”

Yuya smiles. “You can sit down and wait with me.”

Yuto blinks at him. “Are you sure?” he blurts.

“Yeah, of course I am,” Yuya laughs, and Yuto feels his heart flutter. His knees weaken a little too, and he doesn’t argue as he takes the other seat.

He’s nearly panicking, though, searching desperately for a topic, but Yuya beats him to it. With a shy, adorable smile, he says, “Did you wonder where I was, since I didn’t order anything last night?”

Yuto feels his cheeks tingle and he prays that his blush isn’t noticeable. “Um, yeah, actually.” He laughs a bit nervously and rubs the back of his neck. “Were you… up to something?”

“Yeah. My mom surprised me and took me back to her place for the night, to make me dinner.” His smile is so genuine when he talks about his mother that it’s endearing. “I had no idea.”

“Oh, I see.” That relieves Yuto so much that it makes him feel light. He… really _did_ have something else to do last night. “Did you have a good time?”

He smiled. “Yeah. I didn’t think I would when she first showed up to get me, but it was good to see her and my pets. She made me pancakes, too. I love her pancakes.”

“You like pancakes?” Yuto says, and he feels dumb, because his question has such an obvious answer.

“Yeah, especially hers. She makes them in a way I can’t do no matter how hard I try.” He rests his chin on his palm. “Are you good at making them?”

“Ah…” He blushes. “Well, Shun and Ruri say I am. But I just take the mix and put in a secret ingredient. Well… it’s not secret, really, I googled it.”

“Oh?” Yuya chuckles. “I’ll have to try it sometime and guess the secret ingredient.”

Yuto’s heart leaps back up into his throat, and he blushes. “O-oh, really?”

Yuya hesitates. “If you’re okay with the idea.”

“Y-yeah, I just…” Yuto looks down at his cup, then takes a sip to try to bolster himself. _Just do it like Shun told you. Just talk._ “…I didn’t think you’d want to hang out with me again.”

“No, I do,” Yuya blurts, and Yuto can’t believe his ears.

Yuya hesitates. “I just… I’m a bit confused about something, though.” He bites his lip, his thumb rubbing quickly over his mug. “What were you trying to tell me last week? About Yuzu and Serena?”

Yuto flushes. There’s no escape this time, though. And he definitely doesn’t want to lie. “I was surprised because… I thought Yuzu was… dating _you_.”

Yuya blinks. “I mean, we did date in high school, but we’re more… best friends. Nothing came out of that. I told you, right?”

“Yeah, you did.” Yuto sighs and rubs the back of his neck. He can’t quite look at Yuya, even though his beautiful ruby eyes are looking right at him. “But anyway… It wasn’t me being interested in Yuzu. Or Serena for that matter.”

Yuya smiles, but his brows knit with some confusion. “So… you were _that_ surprised by Yuzu not dating me?”

“Well… yeah… I guess…”

Yuya hesitates, then leans forward a little, his gaze finally catching Yuto’s—and Yuto finds he can’t look away.

“Yuto,” Yuya starts. “What is it?”

“I…” Yuto bites his lip. “I really want to get to know you, Yuya,” he says at last, and just admitting that takes a huge weight from his shoulders.

Yuya smiles. “I do, too. So… what’s stopping you?”

All that weight comes right back. Yuya’s smile is so dazzling that he has to look down and take another sip. “…Don’t freak out?” he asks, and when Yuya nods, he admits: “I’m… gay.”

Yuya stares at him.

Then, he laughs.

Yuto blinks, startled, and then Yuya slaps his hands over his own mouth, his eyes wide. “S-sorry, sorry,” he stammers, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean that, Yuto. It’s just, like…”

Slowly, Yuya puts his hand over his heart, and he smiles. “I don’t mind that. Of _course_ I don’t mind that—Yuzu’s bi and Serena is lesbian, and… I’m bi anyway, so…” He laughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah. Why did you think I’d mind?”

Yuto stares at him, unable to process that for a moment. Yuya… likes guys, too? _But that doesn’t mean he likes you_ , Yuto tells himself, biting his lip. _He might be fine getting to know me, but… that doesn’t mean he_ likes _me._

“I mean… there’s always the chance that you’ll…” His grip tightens around his cup. “You’ll think I’m some creep that just wants to get in your pants. I don’t want that.”

There’s a pause, and he flushes red. “N-not that I’m saying you’re—you’re n-not _attractive_ , or you’re ugly, or homophobic even, I just get started thinking those things and can’t stop. I mean, I’m your _delivery guy_ after all, that might seem—”

“Yuto.” Yuya reaches across the table and, in a split moment, puts his hand over Yuto’s. Yuto freezes, his gaze darting from their hands to Yuya’s tomato-red cheeks.

Yuya smiles softly, if a bit nervously. “Do you mean that… you want to get to know me better?”

“…Yes.” Yuto sighs out a shaky breath and his lips curl up slightly. “I would _really_ … like to get to know you better. That’s all I’ve wanted since I met you,” he admits.

Yuya’s expression blossoms into a grin, lighting up his whole being. “Me too,” he says. “You seem really interesting, Yuto. I really want to at least… spend the time to get to know you.” A pink dusting comes out on his cheeks. “And then afterward… see what happens. If… we want to go further than that.”

Yuto feels completely blown away. His smile grows, but he glances down, suddenly so embarrassed. Well. _Again_. He’s convinced that this can’t be real—it has to be a dream. A really, really good dream. He’s going to go along with it.

“Yeah?” He keeps peeking up at Yuya, unable to keep his gaze on him. Suddenly, he’s grinning too. “I… would really like that.”

Yuya lets out a little laugh, then pulls his hand back. Yuto misses his warmth. “Then… would you mind sitting with me for a bit? I’m going over my lines.”

“I am already, aren’t I?” Yuto says. He feels like he’s floating on a cloud, his head a bit fuzzy. “I can help you if you want.”

“What about Ruri?”

“Oh.” That brings him back down to earth for the moment. He pulls out his phone. “No message from her yet… I didn’t think she’d take so long.”

“Hey, um, can I see your phone for a sec?” Yuya asks, and Yuto blinks a bit in confusion but hands over his phone without complaint. Whatever—it’s a dream anyway, right?

Yuya types and taps away, and after a moment, Yuto gets his phone back. It’s opened up to a new chat with _~Yuya~_ , the first message a simple _Hi_ from his own end.

Yuto feels his heart fluttering, and a moment later his phone buzzes as a _hi~_ comes in return. He looks up at Yuya, his own phone in his hand, a playful glint in his eye.

Yuto’s pretty sure that God could take him right then and he’d still die happy. “Ah… Thank you…”

Yuya just grins. “Thank _you_.” He puts his phone down, then picks up one of his paper packets, holding it out. “Would you mind going over my script with me?”

“Of course.” Yuto puts aside his phone and moves his latte out of the way. He takes the packet and scans over the page, eager to help Yuya in whatever way he can. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just make sure I say the lines correctly. And say the lines for the other characters, if you don’t mind.” Yuya scratches his cheek. “This part’s just memorization, not acting, so… you don’t need to inflect or anything.”

He stands up so he can lean over and point to a line near the top. “I’ll start from there… Okay?”

“Got it,” Yuto says. When Yuya sits down and starts reciting the lines, Yuto follows along with his finger. Listening to Yuya’s voice like this makes him want to melt a bit, but there’s no way he wants to mess this up.

“My honour'd lord! My most dear lord!” Yuto reads out, having to read for two people, both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. From his hazy memories of high school literature, he can guess that these are the two comic relief characters.

A sly smile slides onto Yuya’s face, as if he’s performing. Despite keeping his voice low to keep from disturbing the others in the coffee shop, it seems like he’s instantly stepping into the role. “My excellent good friends! How dost thou, Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both?”

Yuto knows there’s no way he can match Yuya’s performance, so he just continues to read quietly. Which is all well and good, because he feels like he’s trying to read a foreign language. “As the indifferent children of the earth. Happy in that we are not over-happy. On Fortune's cap we are not the very button.”

“Nor the soles of her shoe?” Yuya quirks a grin, and Yuto nearly forgets to read the next line.

“Neither, my lord.”

“Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her favors?”

“Faith, her privates we.” Yuto frowns, then looks up at Yuya, breaking character. “Her… privates?”

Yuya giggles, nodding, then keeps going along. “In the secret parts of Fortune? O! Most true! She _is_ a strumpet. What news?”

Whatever a strumpet is, Yuto doesn’t think it’s anything good. “None, my lord, but that the world's grown honest.”

“Then is doomsday near! But your news is not true. Let me question more in particular. What have you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of Fortune that she sends you to prison hither?”

Yuto runs a hand through his bangs. “Wow, I’m lost.”

Yuya chuckles, falling out of character. “I can see why. So, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been told to spy on Hamlet, but Hamlet immediately catches on to them. They’re not very good liars, anyway.” He takes a sip from his mug.

That pulls a soft laugh from Yuto. “I can relate to that.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know how you can keep everything straight.”

Yuya shrugs. “It’s a skill you develop by majoring in this stuff.” His eyes spark. “Hey, what did you study?”

“Architecture. I want to build with more eco-friendly ideas.”

“And… you’re driving around town delivering pizzas?”

Yuto flushes. “We all start somewhere.” He pauses. “No one’s really hiring newbies right now, anyway.”

“You’ll get there.” Yuya smiles, and the way he says the words makes Yuto really believe in them.

Before either can say anything else, Ruri hurries up to the table, her apron in hand. “Sorry I made you wait, Yuto.”

It’s awful to admit to himself, for Yuto had forgotten he was waiting for a few minutes. “No problem, Ruri.”

She smiles, and Yuto can sense the knowing feeling behind the action. “You two just been chatting?”

“Yeah.” Yuya leans back in his chair. “He’s good company.”

Yuto flushes a little at that, but before he can say anything, Ruri looks to him. “You’ve gotta get home and get ready for work, right? I’m sorry—I just don’t want to keep you any longer.”

Yuya’s eyebrows rise up. “You have work?”

“Ah, yeah.” Yuto checks the time, then stands and grabs his latte. “We probably should get going.” He bites his lip. “Sorry, Yuya.”

“No, don’t worry about it.” Yuya gathers his things together and gives him a smile. “Drive safe tonight, okay?”

Yuto softens at that. “I will.” A hopeful smile spreads across his lips. “I’ll… see you another time?”

Yuya grins. “Yeah, of course.”

When they get to the car, Ruri leans over in the passenger seat. “So?” she asks, eyes bright. “What happened?”

Yuto sighs and gives her a look. “I’d say you were in trouble for pulling that, but…” He blushes and scratches his cheek. “It… went really well.”

“Yeah?” She bounces in her seat a little. “Do you have a date?”

“No, no, we don’t.” His phone buzzes, and he unlocks it as he continues. “We’re just… going to get to know each other first.” He can barely believe the words coming out of his mouth. Just saying that makes him immensely happy, and he starts to wonder if that was all real. “That’s… all I can ask for, really.”

Ruri smiles. “That so sweet…”

He lets out an embarrassed little laugh, and he’s about to reply when he sees that his message is from Yuya.

_have a nice shift tonight! ~_ _ヾ_ _(_ _＾∇＾_ _)_

He smiles widely, his heart fluttering. He types out a couple replies, blushing some as he sends them.

_Thanks, Yuya_

_You have a good night, too_

He exits out of that message and opens his conversation with Shun. _I’ll keep my job, thanks,_ he sends.

Then he locks his phone so Ruri won’t lean over and look. He puts it away and starts the car, deciding then and there that he’s going to come to this coffee shop much more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, a goddamn step forward


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> been a bit of a wait, sorry. this chapter is pretty heavy on the Hamlet and also heavy on the cute

Yuya thinks he’ll be too excited to sleep when he goes to bed, but he actually crashes as soon as his head hits the pillow. His dreams feel light and airy, filled with the warmth of hot chocolate and Yuto’s hand under his. He’s so well-rested and happy when he wakes up from his alarm that he doesn’t even grumble at it like he usually does.

He slips his hand out from under the covers and picks up his phone. No new messages, but he still opens up his conversation with, as he wrote it, *~* _*~Yuto~**~*_. Just looking at the name makes his heart race. He buries his face in his pillow, trying and failing to contain the happy smile on his lips.

Yuto _likes_ him.

He finally manages to pull himself out of bed and get ready for his shift. He feels like he’s floating along in a happy little bubble, even when he gets on the rickety bus that takes him to the mall.

He’s halfway there when his phone vibrates with a message. It’s from Yuto.

Yuya’s heart jumps, and he hurriedly opens the message.

_This is really your number?_

Yuya laughs, but quiets down when he gets a glare from a middle-aged man reading the paper. He gives a nervous smile in apology, then types back a reply to Yuto.

 _yup, it is °_ _˖_ _✧◝_ _(_ _⁰_ _▿_ _⁰_ _)_ _◜_ _✧_ _˖_ _°_ _._ Then he adds, _what, did u think it was a dream?_

 _Honestly, yeah_ , comes the reply, and Yuya has to put a hand over his grin to keep from laughing again.

_I can assure u that Sakaki Yuya is quite real (_ _＾▽＾_ _)_

_Haha, I believe you_

_good, u should_ _∠_ _(_ _ᐛ_ _」∠_ _)_ _＿_

There’s no immediate reply, and suddenly he wonders if maybe that was too strong or he’s offended Yuto, but then a new message comes in.

_What are you doing today?_

_well rn I’m on the bus~ headed to work, short shift tho now that I’ve got lines to memorize and rehearsal to go to during the week :p_

_You take the bus?_

_no license, so Yuzu gives me rides sometimes, but today she’s busy_

He quickly adds another message: _my roomie Gongenzaka gives me rides too but he’s away a lot rn cuz he’s preparing for a tourney + working at his dad’s dojo_

He opens up his gallery and sends a picture of Gongenzaka squashed into the driver’s seat of his dad’s old car, nearly twenty years old and for sure not made for someone like him in mind. _I call it his clown car. I have to sit in the back on the other side_

There’s a slight wait for the next message. _Is it bad that I laughed?_

 _lol not at all, but maybe don’t say that to his face,_ he replies. _Gon doesn’t like being the butt of the joke, but Yuzu and I can get away with it_

 _I understand that plenty,_ Yuto writes. And then: _Hey, if you ever need a ride, you can just ask me_

The thought of sitting alone in a car with Yuto sends Yuya into a tizzy. God, does he really want to do that. _no no no, I can’t impose on u like that_

 _It’s fine, Yuya, I don’t mind. You just need to ask me in advance in case I have work,_ Yuto replies after a minute. _Though don’t hesitate if you have an emergency, of course_

Yuya bites his lip, tapping his foot. _that’s really nice of u, thank u._ Then, he smiles softly. _I’ll take u up on that offer sometime_ _（⌒▽⌒ゞ_

He waits for a reply, but it doesn’t come for a couple minutes, and Yuya realizes almost too late that he’s at his stop. He gathers his things and dashes off the bus, breathing a sigh of relief. He heads inside the air-conditioned mall, getting all the way to the store’s workroom to clock in, and then his phone vibrates again with another message from Yuto.

_I’d like that_

Yuya can’t help himself, and in a rush before he clocks in and can reconsider his decision, he types out, _then tmrw 4pm at the theater?_

The reply comes back almost instantly. _What’s the address?_

()()()

Yuya hums as he walks up the stairs into the practice theater, already checking his phone for the time. As happy as he is, and as much as he’s looking forward to the end of the day, he knows the coming hours will be long.

Sawatari’s already in costume inside, leaning against a wall in the hallway. He’s checking his phone, or maybe his reflection in it by the way he runs his fingers through his hair. He doesn’t pay Yuya much mind just then.

“Hey, Shingo,” he says, giving a wave as he continues on.

Sawatari looks up, blinking. “Yuya? Are you… humming?”

Yuya stops and turns back. “Humming?” He tips his head. “No, I don’t think so…?”

Sawatari frowns. “I thought you did…” Then he shrugs. “Whatever. I just assumed you would be in a bad mood today again.”

“A bad mood?” Yuya hasn’t realized he left that kind of impression. It makes sense, though, given his role. “Well, I guess I must just be in a _good_ mood today.” Though maybe he should dial it down a bit. He doesn’t want Sawatari spreading some rumor that he’s got a date.

Because it _isn’t_ a date. It’s just a ride.

Yuya shakes his head to dispel that thought and try to get his heart to stop racing. God, _that_ brought up the wrong thought….

“I’ll see you on stage,” he says hurriedly, not wanting Sawatari to enquire further about his giddiness. Sawatari calls after him, but Yuya just lifts a hand and waves. “Sorry, I’m already a bit late!”

He dips into his dressing room and tosses his bag onto his chair. Then, hurriedly, he pulls out his phone to check his messages. Nothing new from Yuto. But then again, his last message was _Just had a really late night, I think I’ll get some sleep now, but I’ll see you tomorrow,_ which he sent at two in the morning. Yuya replied with _I hope u’ve rested well by the time you wake up! (_ _≧∇≦_ _)/_

He locks his phone and puts it back in his bag, then hurries to get in costume. He wishes it had pockets, because then he’d put his phone in to check it in-between scenes, but he supposes that this is for the best.

Once he’s ready, he heads to the doorway and goes out, scurrying through the hallways. He’s a bit late—

“What a coward!”

Yuya freezes, his eyes wide as he pulls back just as he’s about to round a corner. But he catches sight of a tall man with blond hair facing in the other direction, a cell phone held up to his ear.

“He knew I was coming,” the man continues, annoyance dripping from his tone. “He knows what I’ll say to him when I see him.” He scoffs, then listens to whoever’s on the other side of the line. “You’re right. But we still don’t have enough on him.”

Yuya bites his lip, wondering what the hell _this_ is about. Something tells him that he doesn’t want to know.

“Yeah. I’ll talk to you later,” the man says, and then footsteps sound out. Yuya tenses, but the noise fades, and he lets out a breath and relaxes. He peeks around the corner to see that no one’s there, then hurries along. Whatever that was, he’s got no time to think about it even if he wanted to.

He’s finally _almost_ to the stage when Carla appears. “Yuya! _There_ you are! You’re late. Don’t you know we have guests today?” She sighs in frustration, looking at something on her phone. “Although Reiji isn’t here….”

Yuya blinks at her. “Guests?”

“Yes. Some actors and agents, and Reiji was going to be here to greet them, but now he’s going to be late.” Suddenly, a shine overtakes her face, and her next sigh is dreamy. “Well, I guess that means I can entertain Jack Atlas…”

Jack Atlas? The image of the star comes to Yuya’s mind, and he realizes _he_ was the man in the hallway. “But why do we have them here?” Especially Jack Atlas. Why should the action-flick actor have any reason to be at a practice for a _Shakespeare_ play? But he _is_ supposed to live in the city, so maybe it was just easy to approach him…?

Carla snaps out of her daydream. “So people can give you pointers, of course! There are people watching all the practices today. Jeez, didn’t you read the reminder email?”

He didn’t, in fact, because his weekend was spent in blissful knowledge that Yuto likes him back, but he’s not about to tell Carla that right now. “Uh, I must’ve missed it.”

“Ugh…” She takes him by the shoulders and pushes him toward the stage. “Go on, it’s time for practice.” She takes a radio at her hip and speaks into it. “Gloria, Yuya’s here.”

Yuya scurries into place, then can’t help but peek out from behind the curtain. There are some people in the audience—he smiles when he recognizes a couple of his college professors. A few people who seem like agents are there, including the mustached man that Yuya can somewhat remember from his audition, though he never got his name. He scans the audience again, but doesn’t catch sight of Roget.

Blond hair catches his eye, and he frowns a little at Jack Atlas. He has his arms crossed, brows furrowed as he watches the stage. It’s rather intimidating.

The overhead lights suddenly flood the stage, and Gloria calls out for the scene to start.

The actors for Claudius and others come onstage, setting the exposition. In the previous scene, Hamlet hired actors to perform a play that depicted a man killing his brother to become king, all in an attempt to make Claudius sweat. And sweating is what he’s doing, with the knowledge that Hamlet knows how his father actually died. He’s planning to send Hamlet far away with his retainers to avoid being outed as a murderer, using the excuse of Hamlet’s deteriorating mental health.

Yuya tries to pay attention. He really, really does, and he actually listens for a few minutes… until his thoughts drift back to Yuto. He wonders if his phone’s buzzing with any messages yet. If Yuto’s gotten up out of bed. Given his wild hair, he probably looks like a mess when he wakes up. The mental image causes a goofy grin to spread across Yuya’s lips.

But then all too soon, Claudius—played by Dennis, who makes up for his gangly, almost awkward appearance by the sheer way he holds himself when he acts—is left alone, and he kneels on the ground in prayer. Yuya jumps back to the moment and hurries onstage, nearly forgetting to march determinedly across the front.

He stops dead in his tracks and turns around, as if noticing the king. He bites his lip. “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ‘t.”

He draws the blunt sword at his hip and edges closer to Claudius. Dennis may be a giggly guy, but he’s completely silent and still as he kneels facing away from Yuya. He might as well _really_ be praying.

Yuya raises his sword. “And so he goes to heaven. And so I am revenged.”

He pauses, then lowers the weapon. “That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. Oh, this is hire and salary, not reven—”

There’s a loud scoff from the audience, and Yuya freezes. He can’t help but look out into the audience to see Jack Atlas scowling. Other people near him glance at him, and Gloria sighs as if she knew something like this was coming.

“Excuse me, Mr. Atlas, but if you have a comment, I would prefer you wait until a break to provide it,” she says sharply.

“It seems as if there’s a break now, given that Yuya’s taking one,” Jack replies, and Yuya startles.

“Um, am I?” he asks, scratching his cheek. He’s not a stranger to criticism in this line of work, but he’s not usually, well, _scoffed_ at.

“I think Yuya was doing a delightful job,” Dennis pipes up, and Yuya looks back. Dennis gives him a grin and a wink, and Yuya can’t help but smile back despite his nerves.

“You had your back turned,” Jack shoots back, and then his gaze flicks to Yuya. Yuya thinks his eyes might start shooting laser beams at any moment, his stare is so hard. It’s one thing to see it on a movie screen, and another to see it in person.

“Yuya,” he starts. “Hamlet’s an indecisive bastard, but you need to give him _decisiveness_ when he _does_ have it. Don’t just sneak up behind that guy— _attack!_ ”

Yuya stiffens at the intensity of Jack’s barked advice. He bows his head quickly. “Yes, yes—I’ll do that. Um—” He looks to Gloria. “Is that okay?”

“That’s the point of today,” Gloria says, holding up her hands. “Besides, it’s solid advice. Go for it. Dennis, start back just a few lines before you kneel down and pray.”

“Up and down on my knees all day, huh?” Dennis mutters, and Yuya has to bite his lip to keep from cracking up as he heads back just offstage. Yuya can take acting advice pretty well, given how much he’s gotten over the years, but the joke definitely helps to shave off the tension from this particular one.

This time, Yuya is much more in the moment. As soon as Dennis gets down on his knees, Yuya marches out. He stops much sooner than before, noticing his adversary. He takes a breath, raising his shoulders to appear taller, stronger. Most scripts have Hamlet say a few lines before drawing his sword, but he does it immediately.

“Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying.” He starts to walk up behind Dennis, quietly but with no hesitation. “And now I’ll do ‘t,” he adds, raising his sword. “And so he goes to heaven. And so I am revenged.”

He lifts the sword higher, then moves to attack—and stops short, scowling. “That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.” He whips the sword down to his side and takes a step back, still glaring at the back of Dennis’s head. “Oh, this is hire and salary, not revenge!”

He continues on with his lines, his voice stabbing the air with anger and frustration. If Hamlet kills Claudius while he’s praying, he would be sent to heaven rather than hell; such a kind fate doesn’t suit a murderer. Yuya ends Hamlet’s monologue with vowing to kill Claudius at a time when he’s indulging in some sin or another to truly send him to hell. After he walks offstage, Dennis stands up and sighs, revealing the irony in Hamlet’s decision by saying that his prayers were likely all for naught.

“I like that much better!” Gloria says when the actors come back out onstage. She turns to Jack. “How’d you like that take?”

He shrugs. “Better,” he says, but he’s not outright glaring or barking anymore, so Yuya decides to take that as a success.

Gloria seems to have the same idea, because Yuya catches her momentary smirk. “Okay, everyone. Back from the top.”

They go through the scene again, and during the first half before he has to go out, Yuya finds his mind drifting to Yuto. He can’t wait to see him, _talk_ to him… Maybe he’ll be impressed that Yuya’s technically met Jack Atlas now. Well, more like been yelled at by him…. Something tells him Yuto won’t be happy about the yelling, but otherwise—

“Yuya,” Sawatari hisses, pushing against his back. “Hurry up!”

He blushes, realizing his mistake, and he hurries out onto the stage. He can manage to focus when he’s acting, but when they start from the top again, he wonders if Yuto would want to come watch him perform. Yuya can certainly get him tickets….

He manages to not miss his cues in the subsequent run-throughs, and he’s sweating by the time Gloria calls out, “Okay, done! Good job today, everyone. Sorry we ran a little late.”

Yuya blinks. Late? “Wait, what time is it?” he asks Dennis.

Dennis shrugs. “Does it look like I have pockets for my phone, either? What, you’ve got plans?”

“Someone’s picking me up,” Yuya says, and then he makes a beeline to go offstage and back to his dressing room, ignoring how the other actors stick around to talk to each other and the guests. He knows it’s bad manners, but if it’s _actually_ late, then that might make _Yuto_ late for work if he’s got a shift tonight. Yuya completely forgot to ask.

He immediately picks up his phone when he gets to his dressing room. He has several new messages from Yuto:

_I did rest well, thank you_

_I hope you’re having a good day at practice. I’ll be there to pick you up at 4_

The last one was sent a few minutes ago, at 4:23. _I hope I’m not rushing you by sending this. You did want to be picked up at 4, right?_

Yuya’s heart leaps into his throat, and he quickly types back, _I’m sorry!!! practice went a little long! ˚_ _‧_ _º·_ _(_ _˚_ _˃_ _̣̣_ _̥᷄_ _⌓˂_ _̣̣_ _̥᷅_ _)_ _‧_ _º·˚_

He all but strips off his costume—he won’t hear the end of it if he tears it—and as he’s hanging it up, his phone buzzes. He immediately checks it. _Oh, that’s fine. I was just getting a little worried is all_

Yuya can’t help but smile softly at the sentiment, although it doesn’t last long in his hurried state. _just a min_ , he sends back, then jumps into his pants and throws on his shirt—barely managing to get it on the right way—and rushes out the door right into Dennis.

“Whoa, whoa!” he says, putting his hands on Yuya’s shoulders. “Where’s the fire?”

“Yuto—he’s been waiting for me for half an hour,” Yuya blurts, not even registering that Dennis doesn’t even know Yuto. He suddenly wonders if Yuto’s been waiting for even _longer_ than that. Getting somewhere early seems like something he would do.

“Ah, then you’d better get a move-on.” Dennis pats Yuya’s shoulders and lets him go free. Yuya nods and hurries toward the exit, and Dennis calls, “Don’t wanna miss your date.”

Yuya goes crimson and whips his head around. “W-we’re still just friends,” he stammers.

Dennis just winks and gives an exaggerated shrug. “Hey, I’m not prying. Go on and hurry up.”

Yuya’s still rather red, but he nods. “See you, Dennis,” he says before heading out.

He’s so caught up in looking for Yuto’s red car that he nearly misses the fact that Yuto himself is in fact waiting _outside_ it, leaning against the passenger door. Yuya can’t help the grin that tugs at his lips, and he waves as he rushes over. Yuto catches sight of him, and the way his face just lights up is honestly _beautiful_.

“I’m so sorry!” Yuya says as he stops in front of him, panting a bit. He runs a hand through his sweaty bangs. “You must’ve been waiting so long…”

“It’s okay, Yuya. It was just an extra half hour,” Yuto says.

“Still, I made you wait. Sorry…”

Yuto just shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He hesitates, then steps away from the car so he can open the passenger door. “Hop in.”

Yuya feels his cheeks tingle. “Thanks.” He gets in the car and Yuto closes the door behind him, and the simple gesture honestly makes him want to swoon. _Come on, Yuya,_ he tells himself. _You said you want to get to know him better first!_

Still, though, Yuya can just tell how sweet Yuto is.

As Yuto gets in on his side and gets himself ready to drive, Yuya buckles his seat belt and leans back into the worn leather seat beneath him. The scent of pizza hangs in the air, which shouldn’t be as surprising to Yuya as it is. He supposes it’s because the car is so clean, he’s expecting it to have that infamous new-car-smell™. He smiles a bit goofily. “I like your car.”

Yuto takes two times to get the keys into the ignition to start the car, looking up at Yuya and blinking at him. Then the CD player starts and an MCR song picks up right in the middle. Yuto quickly turns down the volume but doesn’t turn it off, then puts the car in drive and carefully starts off. “It’s nothing special, really, just an old hunk of junk that reeks of pepperoni.”

Yuto’s expression is focused now, but his cheeks are a little pink. It makes Yuya’s heart beat faster—but maybe it’s been thumping against his ribcage like this for ages and he’s just noticing now.

His smile stays, and he presses back into the seat. “No, I think it’s great.” He grins. “Even the emo music.”

Yuto goes a bit redder. “I have this same CD at home, but it’s a signed copy. It’s the only signed thing I have.”

“Oh? Did you get to see them in concert?”

“Yeah, actually.” A grin spreads across his lips. “Shun and Ruri really surprised me one year for my birthday. We all went, but they got me a backstage pass.”

“That’s so cool!” Yuya lights up, leaning forward a bit. “Sounds like a good birthday present.”

Yuto laughs. “Yeah, it was.” He pauses as he stops at a red light. “Yuya, when’s your birthday?”

“In early June,” he says. “So it’s passed already.”

Yuto’s brows furrow a bit. “That’s a shame. Er, happy belated birthday,” he adds quickly.

Yuya giggles. “Thanks. When’s yours?”

“October twenty-seventh.”

“Then maybe we can do something around then,” Yuya suggests.

Yuto shifts a bit. “That… sounds like it would be fun. What would you want to do?”

Yuya laughs. “Isn’t that something _you_ should decide? But you’ve got a few months to figure that out.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Yuto laughs too, and his grin is so beautiful that Yuya wants to catch the image in a frame. “I’ll figure something out, I guess. Or ask you then.”

“It’s whatever you want, Yuto,” Yuya giggles, then turns to look out the window at the buildings going by. “By the way, don’t you think it’s a little funny that I don’t have to tell you how to get to my place?”

Yuto hesitates. “Funny ‘ _ha-ha_ ,’ or funny ‘ _weird_ ’?”

“Both,” Yuya says, then bursts into a fit of giggles.

Yuto glances at him, then laughs some as well. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Not a moment later, Yuto pulls into the parking lot of the apartment. He parks the car at a spot near Yuya’s building. “Um, here we are.”

Yuya’s never been so disappointed to get home so quickly. “Thanks, Yuto…” He unbuckles, then pauses. “Do you… want to come up and watch a movie or something?”

“I do,” Yuto says at once, and Yuya’s heart starts to soar—but then Yuto adds, “But I have to go and get ready for work.”

 _Plop_. Yuya’s pretty sure he can hear the sound of his own heart hitting the pavement. “Oh, that’s okay. We’ve all got work.”

“But,” Yuto continues, and he turns in his seat to look Yuya in the eye. “I’d love to come over another time. If you’ll have me,” he adds quickly. “Or we can go somewhere.”

Yuya’s smile comes back in full force. “Of course.” He pauses again, then opens the door. “I’ll see you, Yuto. Thanks again for the ride.”

“Anytime, Yuya,” comes the reply, and Yuya knows that Yuto really means it.

Yuya gets out and grabs his bag, then waves as he heads up to his apartment. Yuto gives a shy, reserved wave back.

Yuya’s phone buzzes as he unlocks the front door. _Just wanna make sure you get in okay, sorry_

A tender smile spreads across Yuya’s lips. He steps inside and locks the door behind him, then texts back, _don’t be sorry. and yep, I did (_ _´_ _▽_ _` )_ _ﾉ_

The reply comes within seconds. _Good. Have a good night, Yuya_

_u too. drive safe!_

_I will_

Yuya can hear Yuto’s car engine outside, and then the sound of it leaving. Yuya’s soft smile turns into a goofy grin, and he all but floats into the living room and collapses onto his beanbag chair.

Oh, God, is he already in it deep.


End file.
